Going through a divorce is stressful for everyone. As parents with a child, you cannot forget that you and your partner are not the only ones experiencing this trauma and stress. Your child also suffers as you do.
But there are things you can do to help mitigate the struggles they face. It starts with how you choose to break news of the divorce.
Prioritizing your child
According to Psychology Today, you can take steps to deal with breaking the heavy news of divorce to your kid. Most of the steps you can take revolve around how you interact with your co-parent.
First, you want to ensure your child feels safe, protected and loved. You can create a necessary foundation for this by working together with your co-parent. This shows them that no matter what you may face in the future, you will still work together for their sake. It feels less foreign to them and also proves they can still rely on and trust you both as adult figures in their life.
Preparing in advance
Next, you want to prepare for the conversations you may have with your kids. They might ask tough questions. They may want to know more than you are comfortable with sharing. You need to set your boundaries before you start and ensure that no one crosses them. You can even prepare for questions you think you might hear, so you are not taken off guard.
This also helps you maintain an air of calm and order. This can help your child feel secure in the notion that you both know how to proceed carefully, which can help them process the rest of the divorce in an easier way.
