During a divorce, parents often focus on their children. They know that this can be hard. They know that the children had no say in the decision. Their goal is to give the child the best possible life after divorce.
Unfortunately, it’s easy to approach this from the wrong direction. You may be tempted to tell the children that they don’t have many rules at your house, trying to make them happy. You may want to buy them gifts so that they can be excited and distracted. You may let them skip their homework or make all of their own decisions so that they feel like they have control.
The problem is that children often want what is not good for them, so giving them this freedom is not always what’s actually best. It can cause a lot of long-term issues. Instead, parents should try to:
- Maintain a routine
- Be as consistent as possible
- Be honest
- Give the kids time with both parents
- Give them support and love
- Establish similar rules at both homes
- Avoid arguing in front of them
- Never make them feel like they have to pick a side
Co-parenting is hard, but it is good for the children in the vast majority of cases. If you know how to approach this, you can give them the best possible life after divorce. You can focus on their well-being. Divorce does not have to be this negative event in their lives. Just make sure you consider them first when talking about custody rights, parenting plans and all of the other critical parts of the process.
