You love your children. There’s no dispute there, and everything you want to do during this divorce process should be focused around that love. You want to give them the best possible outcome and make this as easy on them as you can.
That said, parents sometimes unintentionally make mistakes during a divorce that can harm the children emotionally. It’s important to know how to treat the children and what not to do. A few things to keep in mind include:
- You should keep your children out of the communication between you and your spouse or your ex. Don’t make them messengers or ask them for gossip about the other parent.
- You need to answer all of their questions and consider what information is most important for them, depending on their age. Teens and toddlers have very different needs.
- You should do everything you can to make your ex’s time with the children go smoothly. You may wish the kids were with you all the time, but they deserve a strong relationship with their ex. You can support this by being on time when you exchange the children, never talking down about your ex around them and communicating well with your spouse regarding the kids’ needs and schedules.
- You should tell your children that you love them, repeatedly, and stress that nothing they did made you get divorced. Don’t assume they know that. Children often project these things upon themselves and you need to counter these ideas.
As you work to make this go well for the children, be sure you understand your custody rights, as well.
