Many marriages in Colorado and across the United States end in divorce. While this is a reality that many adults are familiar with (perhaps even taking it into consideration when they originally tied the knot), children dealing with divorce are faced with a separate set of issues. Divorce can often seem like a complete surprise to a child, and it has the potential to be very traumatic. However, there are healthy ways to help your child through a divorce. According to Kid’s Health, one of the best ways to help your child through a divorce is to confine negativity.
Basically, it is completely natural if you have negative feelings toward your soon-to-be ex-spouse. However, it is important to remember that your ex-spouse is still your child’s mother or father, and likely holds a different perspective on him or her. Expressing negative opinions toward your ex-spouse is likely to produce strong and confusing emotions for your child, making a tough situation even more difficult.
The best course of action is to find healthy outlets for any negative emotions that may crop up during this time. You may find that confiding in a friend or professional therapist to be beneficial for your mental health as you go through the divorce. However, for your child’s sake, it is imperative that you put this to the side in the home and present a neutral facade toward your ex-spouse at minimum. (Positivity is better, but if you cannot produce genuine positivity do not fake it.)
Of course, the optimal situation for everybody involved is an amicable divorce. Parents who are able to sustain joint custody and good relations have an easier time of it and so do their children.