Divorce is a major life event for both spouses and their children. While many adults may struggle to grasp the reasons behind divorce, it can be even more challenging for children to understand. For this reason, it is crucial that a married couple working through the divorce process in Georgia explain, simply, the basic reason for the divorce to their children. From there, the two parents have to work together to create a child custody arrangement that is in the best interest of the children.
Although one may be hurt more than he or she can comprehend by his or her former spouse, it is important that these emotions do not determine how the children see either parent. Blaming the other party is not beneficial to anyone and can make working through the custody agreement even more difficult than it needs to be. Children, especially those in their younger years, are highly influenced by the things that their parents say and do, even if parents do not really mean what they say.
Communicating with one’s former spouse may seem impossible, but a child custody arrangement in which the children spend nearly equal time with each parent is nearly impossible to make work if the two parties cannot communicate. Co-parenting and shared custody allow children to re-form their relationships and spend quality time with each parent. In order for this to work, if it is in the best interest of the child, both parents have to put aside their feelings and focus on making the children the first priority.
Children have eyes wide and ears open to absorb all the things that they encounter in their environments, wherever they may be. This means that the things that one says and does during a divorce will be watched and listened to by the children caught in the middle. Focusing on the children’s needs and desires to have relationships with both parents can help parents focus as they create a child custody agreement. Those in Georgia who want to know more about what this process entails can contact family law professionals for assistance.
Source: The Washington Post, “How to talk about your co-parent during and after divorce“, Samantha Rodman, Nov. 6, 2015
