While financial and emotional needs are critical to discuss when divorcing, the most important topic to be talked about is your children and how they will be impacted during the separation process.
Divorce for children can often be traumatic because a court-litigated divorce is often filled with animosity and anger between the parents. But when you choose the non-confrontational collaborative divorce, the goal is to divorce peacefully, leaving your family unit intact.
Often divorcing couples with children ask our team of divorce experts what are their best suggestions for keeping their children out of the middle during the divorce process, and here are a few things we share with them:
- Do not allow the child to take sides
- Talking about your spouse in a disparaging way will only cause emotional fractures
- Encourage the children to talk freely about spending time with your ex
- Make time in your schedule regularly to spend one on one time with your child
- Make sure your conversation about divorcing is age appropriate
- Provide your child with a safe environment in which they can express their feelings – a child specialist can be a safe place for children to share their feelings
- Keeping your children’s pre-divorce schedule in place can help create a feeling of stability
When you and your spouse keep these suggestions in mind, the more success you both will have in co-parenting your children.
Working with a divorce coach and a child specialist early on in your collaborative divorce process, you can help to ensure that your child does not feel the need to be in the middle.
A Better DivorceTM is an interdisciplinary group of professionals committed to non-court, non-confrontational solutions for family law matters.
We will provide access to qualified professionals to help you determine whether the collaborative divorce process is appropriate for you and your family. Contact us today!
Note: This information is general in nature and should not be construed as legal/financial/tax/or mental health advice. You should work with your attorney, financial, mental health or tax professional to determine what will work best for your situation.