Collaborative Divorce Texas

  • Donate
  • For Professionals
    • Membership Advantages
    • Events/Training
    • Become a Member
    • For Students
    • Volunteer at CDT
    • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Login
  • Home
  • Find a Collaborative Professional
  • What is a Collaborative Divorce?
    • What is Collaborative Divorce?
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • About CDTexas
    • Master and Credentialed Collaborative Divorce Professionals
    • The Gay G. Cox Award for Excellence in Collaborative Law
  • Blog
  • For Collaborative Professionals
    • Membership Benefits
    • Events/Training
    • Become a Member
    • For Students
    • Advertise With Us
    • Volunteer at CDT
    • Login
  • Donate
  • Contact Us
  • What is Collaborative Divorce?
    • What is Collaborative Divorce?
    • Why Use a CDTexas Member?
    • About Us
    • Master and Credentialed Collaborative Divorce Professionals
    • The Gay G. Cox Award for Excellence in Collaborative Law
  • Testimonials
  • FAQs
  • Blog
  • Find A Professional
    • How Do I Choose a Collaborative Professional?
    • Attorneys
    • Financial Professionals
    • Mental Health Professionals
    • See All

Donate

You are here: Home / Blog / 5 Tips to Insure Children’s Emotional Safety During Divorce

5 Tips to Insure Children’s Emotional Safety During Divorce

July 31, 2018 By Carol Mapp Leave a Comment

The time of the divorce can be fraught with confusion, sadness, and even anger. Your child’s emotions may be running high, and it is the opportune time to step in and provide extra care and comfort for them. Emotional distress of children surrounding divorce can be minimized if you and your ex can remember these following tips:

1. Let them share their concerns

Your children will have many concerns during this time, and you must listen to what they have to say, and work it out with them. Do not shut them down, and do not make them feel like their feelings are invalid. Listen carefully, and listen often. This will go a long way to help them maintain a level of emotional safety.

2. Do not sugarcoat, but do not overshare

When formulating responses to your child’s tough questions, ask yourself a few things about your response: Is it kind?  Is it factual?  Is it necessary? Kids are inquisitive, and especially during this time, they will have many questions. Sugarcoating your response won’t help them, but neither will oversharing intimate details about your relationship with your ex. It is up to you to find an appropriate middle ground.

3. Set a consistent visitation schedule

Adequate time with both parents is key to help the children transition into their new two-home life successfully. Finding a consistent schedule and keeping you communication respectful with your co-parent is a must . Children want to know “what the plan is” for seeing both parents and spending quality time with each.  This should help return a sense of normalcy to your children.

4. Do not let the divorce process cut into your time with your children

Divorce is complicated and time consuming, it will cut into the time you would rather spend on other things. It may be easy to let the hours in the day slip away as you spend time contacting lawyers, talking to schools, or making agreements with your co-parent. This is completely understandable. However, this is not an excuse for missing time with your children. Spending time with them may help mitigate the heightened emotional state they may be in. Take some time to do fun activities with your children, help them with their homework, check in with them. This will go a long way to help them during this process.

5. Do not put your children in the middle of your divorce

Undoubtedly, there will be divorcing couples mired in emotional turmoil themselves. If this sounds like your situation, be advised that the proceedings are about you and your ex alone. Nothing will stress a child out more than for them to feel like they’re being used by their parents to torment or hurt the other. This will only hurt your children, and will surely make them feel emotionally distressed and unsafe.

About Carol Mapp

Carol Mapp, LCSW, Integrated Healthworks, Arlington, TX, works with adolescents as well as adults. She has extensive experience in the school setting as a counselor, trainer, and educator.

Filed Under: Blog, Carol Mapp, Our-Featured-Authors Tagged With: children and divorce, divorce discussion with children, Grief -- Helping Children

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Find a Professional

Getting started with the Collaborative Process?

First your need to connect with a trained Collaborative Professional.

[Find Out More....]

Articles by Category

Featured Video

  • Collaborative Divorce Testimonial
  • Child of Divorce

Why Collaborative?

  • Jennifer Leister
  • Steve Walker
  • Carla Calabrese
  • Dawn Budner
  • Becky Davenport
  • Jody Johnson
  • Honey Schef
  • James Urmin
  • Kurt Chacon
  • Natalie Gregg
  • Robert Matlock
  • Deborah Lyons
  • Carlos Salinas
  • Camille Scroggins
  • Linda Solomon
  • Richard Soat
  • Lisa Rothfus
  • Jeffrey Shore
  • Barbara Cole
  • David Brunson
  • Jennifer Tull
  • Syd Sh
  • Susan Z. Wright
  • Christi Trusler
  • Camille Milnser
  • Linda Threats
  • Sarah Keathley
  • MaryAnn Kildebeck
  • David Bouschor
  • LIsa Marquis
  • Harry Munsinger
  • Vicki James
  • Robin Watts
  • Katie Berry
  • Jack Emmott
  • Jennifer Broussard
  • Patricia Havard
  • Paula Locke Smyth
  • Laura Schlenker
  • Norma Trusch
  • Brett Christiansen
  • Tim Whitten
  • Mickey Gayler
  • Melinsa Eitzen
  • Julian Schwartz
  • MaryAnn Knolle
  • Chad Olsen
  • Chris Farish
  • Charles Quaid
  • Anne Shuttee
  • Barbara Runge
  • Rhonda Cleaves -
  • Jamie Patterson
  • Catherine Baron
  • Kristen Algert
  • Sandra Roland
  • Rhonda Cleaves 2
  • Gratia Schoemakers

Have you read?

SHHHH…The Secret that Non-Collaborative Lawyers Don’t Want You to Know

Keep this just between the two of us, will you? Because I’m about to tell you a secret that most non-collaborative family lawyers don’t want you to know. But, it’s a secret which you ought – in good … [Read More...]

More Articles from this Category

The Collaborative Law Institute of Texas

d/b/a
Collaborative Divorce Texas

Proud Members of IACP

1400 Preston Road
Suite 400
Plano, TX 75093
(972) 386-0158

Please note: Our office will be closed on

Holiday closures:
Limited: Nov. 23rd & 24th
Closed: Nov. 25th , 26th and 27th

Christmas:
Closed from December 24-December 30, 2022.
Offices open on January 2nd, 2023.


Website Terms of Usage

Contact Our Webmaster

 

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo
  • YouTube

Search Our Website

Find A Professional

  • Find a Collaborative Professional
  • Attorneys
  • Financial Professionals
  • Mental Health Professionals
  • See All
EnglishFrançaisDeutschItalianoPortuguêsEspañol

Copyright © 2023 · Collaborative Divorce Texas · All Rights Reserved

· · ·

Web Design and Maintenance by The Crouch Group