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Time Out! Helping Kids Stay as Kids Divorce is a stressful time for everyone,
Are you upset, angry and or depressed about your especially kids. At this time when emotions
Take care of yourself. The first thing they divorce? If you have money problems or are working run high, there are lots of changes and new Parenting
tell you during airplane safety instructions a lot of hours, you may have less time with the kids situations that can leave kids feeling scared No. 7
is to put your own oxygen mask on before than you’d like. Some people can start to depend on and unsure of what’s going to happen. Your
helping your child. This advice holds true their kids like they are adults or even like a partner. job as a parent is to reassure your kids that
with divorce. You need to take care of Remember that your kid is still a kid. you love them, it’s not their fault in any way,
yourself by eating healthy, getting sleep, Don’t talk about the details of your and to help them through the changes in the best possible
finding time to put together a plan for your divorce or problems in front of your way. As a parent, the welfare of your kids during the divorce should be a
future, and finding help through friends, kids– Don’t talk about finances, visitation top priority. Help them adjust to the changes in living arrangements, school,
family, and support groups. When you are schedules or disputes in front of your child. Put routines, and dealing with the emotions that go along with losing the security
calm and together, your kids will feel more away important documents and finances.
secure knowing that you are there for them Don’t use your child to deliver messages or of a two-parent household.
during all the changes. spy—Don’t put your child in the middle of Many parents choose joint physical custody so the kids can stay connected
delivering information between you and your ex. to both parents. With kids moving between two houses on a regular basis, it
Try This at Home... Cry and yell when the kids aren’t around– If can take a lot of patience and planning to help kids adjust to the changes.
Set up new routine. Kids do you need to vent or cry about a situation, do it Another common arrangement
is for your kids to live primarily
better with a routine and feel safe when the kids aren’t around. They can sense the Reality Check... with one parent, having every Kids and Divorce
in knowing what’s expected. Look feelings and sometimes try to hide their own other weekend and a weeknight
at the exercise on page 3 and emotions so it won’t burden you.
pick one of the areas where you Keep to routines and 8 Let your kids know that you love them and visit from the other parent.
have a problem. Come up with a schedules–Keeping familiar the divorce is not their fault. Whichever type of custody
new way to handle the problem possessions around and 8 Never speak badly of your ex in front of and visitation you have, you
by adding a routine, whether it’s sticking to routines helps kids your kids, even if you think it. should try to find a way to
having spaghetti dinner night feel more secure. 8 Don’t put your child in the role of communicate with your ex-
each time they get back from Hug your kids and tell them messenger between you and your ex. spouse and make things easier
Dad’s, or adding a Monday night how much you love them– Let 8 Work with your ex to stop fighting and put on the kids. Setting up routines
phone call to the other parent for them know they are not to the kids first. for the kids makes it easier for
a bedtime story. blame for the divorce. them to adjust and shift from
8 Adding routines into your schedule will
help give your children a sense of calm one location to another. One
Disclaimer: and security. of the most important things
Learnovation®, LLC’s mission is to empower people to improve 8 Stay involved in your child’s life, whether you can do is to listen and
their own parenting skills. This information is intended to serve you are the primary parent or you only get acknowledge how your kids are
®
©2016 Learnovation , LLC All Rights Reserved. as a general guide of parenting principles and strategies. It is not them occasionally. feeling. Encourage them to be
www.learnovation.com intended to address individual parenting issues, nor should it be honest about their feelings, and
taken as legal, personal, or other advise.
help them talk through them.
