When you decide that divorce is the best option, it can sometimes feel like a weight off your shoulder. But as parents, you still have a long way to go and plenty of hurdles to jump.
One of the first is: how do you tell your child about the upcoming divorce? While there is no clear-cut answer, there are steps you can take to mitigate the damage.
Providing a sense of security
As Psychology Today states, there are several things you can do to soften the blow of divorce. One of the biggest things is collaborating with your co-parent. This may seem like a small or unimportant detail, but it can actually make all the difference.
Collaboration provides your child with an important sense of security. This can lay the groundwork for how they will process and understand everything else you approach them with. To a child, the scariest thing about change can be the sensation of getting left behind or kept in the dark. Children will often respond positively when reassured that you will continue to love and support them through all changes.
Getting on the same page
In addition, collaborating allows you and your co-parent to be on the same page. This lets you craft more coherent conversations. You will not have to worry about stepping on each other’s toes or misinforming your child. You do not have to concern yourself with conflicting information. You can decide together what questions you want to answer and what you will leave alone.
Thus, your goal going into this arrangement should be: cooperate and collaborate. Work together and you can help ease the entire situation for your child and yourselves.