For many couples, the decision to divorce is not an easy one. It likely comes after months or even years of trepidation over how their post divorce lives may shake out, as well as how friends and family members may judge them. With all the conceivable difficulties of deciding whether to divorce, it may be equally as difficult to explain the decision to children. After all, they likely don’t understand the concept of divorce and will be very concerned about their family breaking up.
Because of this, we give some tips about of how children can (and should) be told about a divorce.
Tell the kids together –
A united front may be best when breaking the news, since the kids may have a number of questions about where they will live, where the other parent will live and how often they will be able to spend time with the other parent.
Make time together special –
If you are the parent who leaves the family home, you may feel as if you can’t go home again. But this does not mean that you should abandon the kids. After all, you are still a parent, even if you are not the primary custodial parent. With that, you have to remember that the kids still look at you as a parent and they may miss you.
Respect the other parent –
It may be tempting to badmouth the other parent, but it is not advisable. Family court judges expect parents to exercise a sense of decorum around the kids, so they are not hurt when they hear hurtful things about a parent they love.