Divorce is difficult on all parties involved. However, young children often have the hardest time dealing with separation and divorce. While the dissolution of your marriage may be unavoidable, the way you go about ending your union can have a significant impact on your child’s emotional and psychological health.
You can work to minimize the impact divorce has on your children if you:
- Keep your children out of the crossfire — Fighting with your ex or soon-to-be ex may be inevitable. However, you should avoid displaying aggression and hostility towards your spouse in front of your child. Remember, your child has a right to have a loving relationship with both their parents.
- Discuss legal affairs alone — All issues dealt with in a divorce, but especially those such as child custody, child support and parenting time should be discussed behind closed doors. If you feel the need to vent about such issues, seek legal help or talk to an adult friend or professional counselor, not your children.
- Place your children first — Your decisions should revolve around what is in the best interests of your children. To that end, do not prevent your ex from visiting your children during parenting time and do not withhold child support to punish your ex. Behavior like this can be detrimental to your child’s health and is also in violation of a court order.
Every divorce case is different. Whether you are experiencing a contested or uncontested divorce, you can take steps to insulate your children from harm. One of the most effective ways of minimizing the impact divorce has on children is to retain the services of a highly trained and experienced family law attorney. With his or her help, you may be able to resolve your differences with your spouse in a timely and amicable manner.
