One of the hardest things about navigating a divorce is not just your emotional well being and survival, but that of your children. Too often parents are so overwhelmed with their own emotional turmoil and the disagreements (and the war) going on between them, that they forget about the impact of this devastating time on their children. Some of the nastiest things that occur in a litigated divorce is when parents use their children as pawns and a vehicle to hurt their spouse. In actuality all they have done is hurt their children.
Parents need to communicate honestly with their children about divorce, but they need to keep it general. They don’t need to involve the children in the nitty gritty of their problems and their relationship. Often children are not equipped to deal with these complexities, nor should they have to.
In the collaborative process, family specialist are extremely valuable in helping parents deal with their children and do what is best to help the children navigate through this difficult time.
Selected excerpt(s), photo and linked article courtesy of Jim Catlin, Chippewa Valley Family