HOW TO TALK TO CHILDREN ABOUT DIVORCE by Linda Riley, LMFT

-
1. Explain to them you are getting a divorce and will no longer be living together.

2. Let them know you both will continue being their parents.

3. Tell them it isn’t their fault and they didn’t cause it.

4. Assure them that you both still love them

5. Explain the custody arrangements (where they will live)

6. Allow them to have a full relationship with both parents

7. Make sure they realize they are not losing a parent

8. Keep them out of the middle of the conflict.

9. Don’t make them choose sides

10. Avoid letting them experience much of the conflict

11. Talk to them about the divorce and the realistic changes it will bring into their lives.

12. Encourage them to talk and ask questions.




For more tools & resources on Children & Divorce Contact:
The LifeWorks Group, Inc.
1850 Lee Rd. Suite 250, Winter Park, FL 32789
407-647-7005, www.lifeworksgroup.org

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Red Head, A Blond, and A Brunette: What Do We Have In Common?

-
Image
 By: Elizabeth McKeehan, LMHC 1990 Basketball Homecoming Content Warning : This article contains discussion of suicide  Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (Call or Text): 988     Three classmates, 30 years ago in a glamorous, albeit staged, high school photo, capture a carefree time in our lives where the future was exciting and unknown.   We never dreamed that suicide would be a tie to bind us.   Holly Maupin, Holly Coleman, and I had been classmates for the previous 12 years leading up to this senior year picture.   We lived in Princeton, KY, a small rural town in western Kentucky.   Holly Maupin (red head) and I had the same angry 1st grade teacher, yet Holly’s motto was always to treat others like you want to be treated.   She asked me one day in class, “Are you saved?” I wasn’t sure what she meant, so I had to ask more questions.   She helped me to think as a 7 -year- old about death and life after death. She had depth, but also a light-hearted humor.   She always made me and o
Read more

5 Ways Codependency Gets Confused With Love

-
Image
  5 Ways Codependency Gets Confused With Love by Megan Brewer, LMHC “If I just love him enough, he will stop his self-destructive behavior.” “I can’t say no to her because I don’t want her to think I don’t love her.” “I know I need to get out of this unhealthy relationship, but I can’t leave because I love them too much.” If these phrases sound familiar, then you may be confusing love with an unhealthily enmeshed and enabling relationship. It can be difficult to distinguish the difference between love and codependency because codependency can often be a distortion of love’s true components.   Below are 5 ways codependency parades as love:   1.      Love does not enable bad behavior.  Love does not excuse the destruction of the beloved. It is difficult to navigate care for someone who is hurting themselves, others, and us. Often, we don’t realize that our attempts at loving someone can be contributing to their destructive behavior. For example, we may try to provide for the emotiona
Read more

58 Warning Signs of Cheating Partners

-
Image
58 Warning Signs of Cheating Partners written by: Dwight Bain, LMHC, NCC, & Certified Leadership Coach These are the most common signs of a partner who has detached from you because they are attached to someone else. Check off any of these traits you have seen in your relationship over the last few months. Be honest, the future of your relationship together could depend on it. Spiritual Warning Signs: ____ You find your partner has been lying to you about a variety of topics ____ Your spouse seems more secretive or deceptive ____ Abandoning faith or previously held values or morals ____ Not trustworthy or constant violations of trust ____ Secrecy or unusual activity that is very out of character for them ____ Your partner is disrespectful or rude to those who hold traditional values ____ Your partner abandons their religious belief and value system Behavioral Warning Signs: ____ Mate is working longer hours on the job and not coming home as much ____ Your spouse h
Read more