By Elton John Bozanian
Partner
Partner
Our divorce attorneys recommend taking the following measures to help your child process your divorce in a healthy way.
What Should You Do to Help Them?
While divorce will almost always negatively impact your child, we’ve discovered a few ways you can minimize the impact and help them move forward with the situation at hand.
- Make it clear that they are not at fault for the divorce. It’s a natural inclination for many children to assume that they are at fault for their parents’ divorce, especially if many marital arguments were about them and their activities. This can lead to feelings of guilt and anxiety, and in many circumstances, makes the child think they can bring you and your ex back together. It’s important for you (and your ex, if possible) to assure your child that the divorce is simply between you two and has nothing to do with them.
- Don’t confide in them about disagreements with your ex. Even if you feel your children are mature enough to handle it, we can’t stress enough how important it is for you to avoid confiding in them about an argument with your ex. Children do the best in these situations when disruptions to their lives are minimal, and they don’t feel forced to “choose sides” or badmouth one of their parents.
- Don’t hesitate to bring in a professional. A professional counselor is trained to help your child get in touch with their emotions and develop coping skills to ease their transition into the new situation. Having a neutral third party help yourself and your child cope with the divorce and move forward can take pressure off of you and help you both see the situation through a new lens.
The family law attorneys at Rotolo, Bozanian & Yi are readily available to help you and your family navigate your divorce. Contact us today at (201)-947-1500, or through our website, to set up a virtual consultation!