Deciding to divorce can be one of the most challenging things you ever do. Just the same, discussing this with your children is every bit as difficult.
Since you want to protect your children at all times, you need to think long and hard about how you will tell them about your divorce.
Here are five tips that can make this a bit easier on you:
- Plan what you want to say: Since you never know the direction the conversation will go, you should plan what you want to say and how you will get your point across in the best way possible.
- Let your children know it’s not their fault: This sounds cliché, but many children immediately assume a divorce is a result of something they did wrong. You should clear this up right away.
- Be straightforward: There is no point in beating around the bush, as you want your children to know exactly what is going on. It’s best to be clear upfront, than to be vague and hope it doesn’t come back to cause more harm down the line.
- Tell all your children at the same time: Not only does this make things easier on you, but it does the same for your children. You don’t want anyone to think you were keeping a secret from them.
- Let them know how things will change and stay the same: Your children will be concerned about what the divorce means to their future. Discuss this in great detail so they know what to expect and when to expect it.
When you do these things, you’ll find it easier to tell your kids about divorce. From there, you can turn your attention to the divorce process and what you need to do for yourself.
Source: HuffPost, “10 Things To Keep In Mind When Telling Your Kids About The Divorce,” Carolin Lehmann, accessed June 15, 2018