When married couples decide their marriages are no longer working and make the decision to separate, it can affect their children as much as it can affect them. Divorce is not a decision made lightly. British Columbia couples who make that decision and who are also parents have to walk a fine line between meeting their own needs and the needs of their children. The choices that parents make in times of turmoil might help or hinder their children.
Some psychologists say there are things parents in this circumstance might do to thwart their own emotional pain, but which might be detrimental to their children’s well-being. Rushing the grieving most children need to do about their parents’ divorces might be one of the most harmful things parents can do. Experts say children may need more time to heal from a changing family life as they knew it.
Experts suggest that it takes children about three or four years to adjust to their new situation. During that time, some children might do well seeing a family therapist or a psychologist to help them to process their feelings. Children need their parents to move more slowly when it comes to making decisions that will affect their lives as well — such as finding a new partner or selling the family home. Experts say the fewer changes made to children’s lives, the better.
Children need their parents to try to be civil to each other in the midst of a divorce. Luckily there are tools parents can utilize to help make this happen. An experienced British Columbia family law lawyer may be able to point a client in the right direction when it comes to getting information on important issues that could affect their children such as laws pertaining to child custody, visitation, and co-parenting.