Parents in California who decide to divorce may be concerned about how the end of their marriage will affect their children. Divorce can lead to significant disruption in a child’s life, especially as he or she now moves between separate homes and deals with the confusion of even part-time separation from a parent. Of course, divorce can also lead to greater financial challenges and a change in a child’s standard of living as well as serious emotional fallout. However, parents can help to protect their children in this difficult time by keeping some key pointers in mind.
In particular, children should be kept out of the dispute between their parents. Parents going through a divorce may have a great deal of anger toward one another, but that information needs to be shared with friends or therapists, not with children who continue to love both of their parents. In addition, children should be reassured that they were not the cause of their parents’ separation. They did not cause the divorce and cannot make their parents get back together. At the same time, it is also important to keep a framework of openness and honesty even while protecting the children from adult conflicts.
Divorce can come with significant changes to schedule and routine for children. They may feel as if they have little opportunity to speak up about their own lives. It is important for kids to have some role in shaping their parenting plans and schedule changes to ensure that they feel heard.
Many parents going through a divorce want to do everything they can to help their children feel loved throughout the difficulties of the process. A family law attorney may help a divorcing parent to negotiate a fair settlement on a range of issues, including child custody, visitation and child support.