Five Of The Best Ways To Help An Emotional Child Cope With Divorce And Blended Families

Most couples with children endure considerable stress during periods of separation, divorce and the creation of new “blended” families. The tension level usually increases considerably if the children sustain emotional difficulties coping with these changes.

The right steps may help an emotional child cope more effectively with the transitions accompanying the dissolution of a parent’s marriage or the creation of a blended family. Not every method proves appropriate in all cases, so drawing upon the advice of qualified professional counselors with respect to your situation remains advisable:

Keep Your Children Insulated From Adult Disagreements

Many adults exchange unkind words with one another during a separation, divorce and afterwards. You’ll assist your children by shielding them from feeling responsible for these quarrels.

Don’t put your children in the middle of your arguments or have them choose sides. This will only make them feel more confused and resentful.

Seek Legal Counsel

Protect the interest of you and your children by seeking timely legal counsel, especially if custody disputes loom. Consulting with an attorney about custody issues at an early stage may provide you with knowledge to better assess and minimize the adverse consequences of the divorce upon children in the household.

An experienced attorney can help protect you and your children’s rights.

Don’t Talk Bad About Your Ex

Make it a point to avoid casting your ex in the role of a villain. It remains important to maintain a respectful attitude towards other adults in the family, even those with whom you disagree.

Remember, everyone possesses human imperfections. Verbalizing personal attacks against your child’s mother or father potentially damages your youngsters’ self-esteem.

Avoid Favoritism

If you form a “blended” family, take care not to play favorites among the children in the new household. Favoritism can provoke intense sibling rivalry.

It may aggravate a child’s unhappiness about a parents divorce. Make sure every child in your new family is given special time and equal attention with you, whether they are your children or your spouse’s children.

All children should be expected to live by the same rules and do chores together. If one child is getting away without helping out around the house, it can cause a lot of unneeded stress and rivalry in the family.

Consider Counseling

If one or more of your children have problems coping emotionally, seek qualified professional counseling in helping them work out issues relating to the changes in their living situation. Acting quickly to assist a child in coming to terms with unhappiness now may alleviate behavioral problems that could surface at a later time.

Assisting troubled children in coping with the consequences of a parental separation and divorce, and the formation of blended families, remains a very important topic. Since legal issues during these periods impact the outcome of events in significant ways, it remains vitally important to maintain close communications with the law firm representing your interests.

Informational credit to Blumenauer Hackworth.

About the author

Anita Ginsburg is a freelance writer from Denver, Colorado. She often writes about home, family, finance and business. A mother of two, she enjoys traveling with her family when she isn’t writing.