Marriage breakdowns can be hard on children. Here’s some advice on how to help them through this tough period.
With the most number of divorces being filed in January, it has notoriously and perhaps appropriately been labelled Divorce Month.
What is Divorce Month?
Well, this is a huge contrast to this month, considering Valentine’s Day at the heart of it. Although Valentine’s Day is conventionally a couple’s day, it’s also a day for celebrating love, and the love that you share between you and your child.
Divorce is a difficult ordeal for any chid to go through. It can put a huge strain on your relationship with them, especially if your child is young. Divorce can make children feel incredibly low and make them question why it is happening to them. To avoid this, it is important you regularly communicate with them. Keep an open space of trust and communication between you both. This will allow them to willingly express how they feel.
How to stay close to your child through a divorce?
Psychology Today has discussed the effects of divorce on children and have suggested a few ways that will help your child stay emotionally close to both you and your partner during these tough periods.
- Don’t put your child in the middle: children can often feel like they are in the middle if they think they have to choose between parents. It’s natural for a child to look for a parent to blame for the divorce, but it is important not to encourage them to feel like this.
- Co-parenting: although discussing the welfare of your child can be difficult, working together and coming to amicable decisions will help your child to accept the decision. If your child sees that their parents agree on the next steps, they will feel more secure about their future
- Help them understand the upcoming changes in their life, and make sure they feel reassured about what the future holds
For more information on how to assist your child through a divorce, visit Psychology Today
