Divorce can be extremely difficult for the young ones in your family to process. Even though your marriage is heading for an imminent end, you want to do everything possible to minimize the negative consequences your kids experience.
Here are three tips for helping your kids cope with divorce.
1. Pick the right attorney
While all family law attorneys should be competent, every lawyer in the Lake Charles phonebook may not be good for your kids. Consider picking legal counsel who understands how divorce affects children. Lawyers who have kids or had parents who divorced when they were young may be a good fit. These attorneys may also have family resources that are extraordinarily valuable to both you and your kids.
2. Choose your battles carefully
In high-conflict divorces, children tend to sustain psychological trauma. In fact, your kids may develop anxiety, depression or even post-traumatic stress disorder. By choosing the battles you fight with your spouse carefully, you may keep your divorce from becoming a high-conflict one.
3. Focus on stability
Your children do not have as much life experience as you and your soon-to-be ex-spouse. Consequently, they may believe your divorce signals the end of their worlds. If you focus on stability, you provide reassurance to the young ones in your family. You may also make it easier for your kids to process the upcoming changes to their lives.
You probably cannot control all aspects of your children’s response to your divorce. Any effort you put into ensuring your children are ok, though, may help to contain the short- and long-term psychological effects they experience.