Adults working through a divorce are subject to a lot of grief and stress due to the end of the relationship. When kids are involved, the stress increases exponentially. Most parents worry about their children’s mental and physical health following the divorce because of the changes their kids must adapt to.
There are ways parents can work together to alleviate childhood stress following a divorce.
Recognize your children’s responses to the divorce
Depending on your children’s ages, they may have difficulty expressing their feelings. Divorce is an overwhelming and significant life change and children may great with confusion, anger or guilt. Instead of expressing their feelings to you, you may notice a decline in their grades or social relationships at school.
Your kids might look for someone to blame. In some cases, they may pin the blame on one parent, whereas in others, they may blame themselves for their parents’ breakup.
Help your children cope with the divorce
While you may have a long road ahead of you, there are ways that you can make divorce easier for your children. First, remain an active participant in your children’s lives. Children need to feel important to their parents. Try to work with your co-parent to ensure your children understand their place in the family remains unchanged. If you do have arguments with your spouse, keep your kids out of the argument and never speak badly about your ex in front of them.
As your children navigate the world post-divorce, let them know they can talk to you about anything. Encourage them to express their feelings and let them know that anger, fear and anxiety are normal.