Pennsylvania parents like you want to protect your child from your divorce. It may feel tempting to wait as long as possible to break the news because of this. But that often does more harm than good.
Instead, you can focus on ways to mitigate the damage. At the same time, present as much honesty as possible. This will allow you to alleviate your child’s fears in a sustainable, helpful way.
Tackle heavy topics in a calm way
Kids Health looks at ways you can help your child cope with your divorce. Most revolve around how you and your co-parent present yourselves and divorce. Children are surprisingly adept at picking up on nonverbal cues. This means they will likely notice every ounce of tension or anger between you.
In other words, pretending to get along for the sake of your child may not work. Instead, wait until you have reached a point where you can discuss your divorce in a genuinely calm way.
Discuss things with each other
Also, talk with your co-parent about all important matters before anything else. Get on the same page before presenting to your child. This prevents misinformation and conflict. It helps the two of you look like a cohesive unit. Presenting a unified front can provide your child with much-needed security. In turn, this can cut down on the possibility of them suffering from depression, anxiety and more.
This is how you can tackle other matters of divorce moving forward, too. Collaborate with your co-parent rather than working against each other. The sturdy foundation this creates for your child can help carry them through this tough time.
