How to Discuss Your Divorce with Your Children

 Posted on March 14, 2019 in Divorce

Divorce is an issue that many people will have in their lives and talking about it is not an easy task, especially when you have to tell your children about it. Handling the stress and emotions in your divorce may be worsened by apprehension about how you are going to tell your children and what their reaction will be to the news. However, you can make the conversation as easy as possible by following these simple tips to make the conversation as smooth as possible in the circumstances. 

Tell the Children Together

It will be easiest to tell all the children together and tell them with your significant other. Telling all the children the news while they are in the same room will let you and your significant other answer any questions the children may have where they can hear your answers to questions their siblings are asking. It is also best to tell them with your significant other and frame the divorce as something you both decided would be best. If you tell them alone and blame your significant other, you are poisoning them against their parent, which is not a good thing. Even if you can not stand your significant other, having two parents in their lives and working together to raise them will help your children greatly. 

Try to Emphasize Consistency

The divorce process often causes a lot of change in every family’s life, and your children may be worried about all the changes. Emphasizing that you and your spouse will keep loving them and will do your best to make sure their lives are affected as little as possible will give them the confidence that you are both well-meaning. 

Tailor Your Discussion to the Children’s Age

You will need to approach the discussion in different ways depending on the ages of your children. It would not be a good idea to speak to a 4-year-old the same way you discuss the situation with a 16-year-old, and vice versa. Think about the discussion beforehand so you can prepare some answers to questions you anticipate, and try to keep in mind the type of language you wish to use. 

Contact an Oakland County Divorce Lawyer

Your divorce is most likely going to be difficult for the family, but if you follow the tips discussed, your children will have an easier time with the transition. Your divorce should be handled by a Novi MI child custody attorney who has the experience and knowledge to help you with your divorce case. The lawyers at Elkouri Heath, PLC know what is needed to give you the resolution you require from your divorce case. Call us today at 248-344-9700 if you would like to schedule a free initial consultation.  

Source:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/all-grown/201510/how-talk-children-about-divorce