When you bring up the divorce topic with your children, you and your spouse should already be sure that a divorce is going to take place. You don’t want to put something major like this on the children before you know that it’s going to happen.
Once you do decide to broach the topic with them, how you do it is very important. It can help them adjust and deal with this information, which may be difficult. Here are some tips that can be beneficial.
Talk to them together
First of all, gather all of your children and break the divorce news together, as a couple. It may be tempting to do this first, but it’s better for the children if they feel that you and your ex are going to work together to be effective co-parents. You can demonstrate this by having a family conversation at the beginning.
Give them a rough timeline
You may not know exactly when the divorce will be finalized, but you can give the children a rough timeline so that they know what to expect. Otherwise, they may not have any idea if the divorce is going to happen tomorrow or three years from now. Exactly how much you tell them will depend on their age and maturity level.
Address their reactions
Divorce can be concerning for children, and the way that they react immediately will tell you how they’re taking the news. They may be concerned about what this is going to mean for their future. Give them a chance to ask questions or express these concerns so that you can discuss them as a family.
As you can see, it is important to put the children first during a divorce. Carefully consider the legal options you have to continue doing so as the process moves forward.
