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3 Ways To Help Children Cope After Divorce

13 February 2017 by Louise Boyd

Once you and your partner decide to divorce, you likely already understand how this can impact your children. Kids often feel the effects of divorce the most, as it can feel as though their lives are being ripped apart. In order to keep their stress and anxiety as low as possible, it is crucial that you and your partner are able to co-parent in a way that is as constructive and helpful as possible. Here are some tips to help you do that:

Scheduling

Because divorce can significantly disrupt a child's life, it is crucial to keep their regular schedule outside of the home as normal as possible. There may need to be some obvious changes, such as where they will go afterward or who will pick them up. However, knowing that their schedule is constant and without too much change can help them have some sense of normalcy. Try very hard to not pull them from their activities due to a divorce unless you absolutely have to.

Minimize Change

Divorce is going to be a major change in the life of a child. Try to avoid making additional changes unless they are absolutely necessary. For example, do not pull the child from his or her school. If one you have to move outside of the child's current school district, make an attempt to work something out with the other parent so that the child can remain in his or her school. Continue allowing the child to practice their faith by remaining in church. Try to maintain as many family traditions as possible, although altered due to the fact that you and your spouse are no longer together.

Facing the New Normal

While you can take many steps to keep your child's life as normal post-divorce as possible, they will need to understand that not everything will be the same. They will have to understand that their parents live in two homes; they will have two bedrooms and two sets of holiday celebrations. While you want to maintain their old normal as much as you can, you will need to help them cope with the new normal as well. Have a lot of discussions about how life will be different. If necessary, you may want to seek the help of a therapist for a time until the kids are able to cope on their own.

Keeping a child's life in one piece after a divorce is going to be challenging, but it will be much easier if the parents are able to coordinate and co-parent without bad feelings getting in the way. Work closely with your divorce attorney to ensure that a fair and balanced schedule can be worked out for the sake of the kids. Contact a law firm like The Law Offices of Paul F. Moore II for more information.

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