Your child may be affected by your divorce in different ways. They may believe they are to blame for it, their academic performance may drop, they may avoid friends and so on. That’s why it’s vital to do your best to protect them from such potential effects.
Here is how you can do this:
1. Maintain routines
When your child learns about your divorce, they may be scared. They may wonder how their lives will change – will they move to another home? Will they transfer schools? Will they see both their parents? Among other questions.
Changing your child’s routines can worsen their anxiety about the situation. Even though going through a divorce can result in some changes, especially if one of you moves out, try your best to stick to some old routines, such as bedtime, eating a particular food on a particular day, going to the mall on the weekend and so on. The more you normalize their new situation, the better.
2. Be a good co-parent
Long before you receive final orders regarding child custody, you and the other parent should start working together to establish your new co-parenting relationship.
Spending quality time with both parents can help your child significantly – so focus on your shared goals for your children. That may ultimately help you see what sort of permanent custody plan you want to eventually have approved by the court.
3. Put the children’s needs first
Even though you are no longer a couple, you still share the responsibilities for your children. Make sure that you take into account all your child’s emotional, physical and financial needs and discuss how those can be met with the resources you have.
Prioritizing the children can help make certain that they know that both their parents are still there for them.
The above-discussed tips can help you protect your child before your divorce is finalized. Legal guidance can also help you make informed decisions.