You’re going through a divorce. This is a troubling time and you don’t want to burden your children with the news. Yet, your children will learn about the divorce eventually.
If you delay talking to your children about your divorce, they may not be ready to face the changes to come. It could help your children to talk about your divorce early. But, how do you break the news of your divorce? Here’s what you can consider doing:
What can you do to make the news easier to handle?
Talking to children about complex subjects, such as divorce, can be difficult. Your children may not fully understand what divorce means, and you likely weren’t expecting to have this talk so soon. Here’s how you can talk to your children about divorce:
- Prepare for the talk: It can be difficult to know what exactly to say to your children regarding your divorce. Before you have the talk, you may want to jot down some notes so that you cover everything. For example, you may want to talk about why the divorce is happening or what will change after the divorce.
- Let your children ask questions: Your children may ask questions. Children often ask questions to understand complex matters. Some of these questions may be difficult to answer and some may seem strange. For instance, a grade-schooler may ask if they get to keep their room while a teenager may ask who they are going to live with.
- Ask questions: It could help you to understand what’s going through your children’s heads after hearing about your divorce. You may want to consider asking them questions to be sure they understand what’s happening.
- Tell the truth: Your divorce is likely complicated. When talking about your divorce, you could try being as truthful as possible. Talking about some private matters, however, may be more difficult. You may want to consider simplifying the truth if there’s something you’re not sure how to say.
As you plan to have this talk with your children about divorce, it could help to understand what’s going to happen once the divorce process is over. You may want to reach out for legal help when understanding your legal options as a parent.