How to Tell Your Children About Your Divorce

The prospect of telling your children about your upcoming divorce can be daunting. There’s almost certainly going to be an emotional reaction, and you have to be prepared to guide your children through the difficult time that is to come.

While telling children about divorce is never easy, there are at least ways you can do it to ensure it goes as smoothly as possible. Here are some tips.

• Do it together: Present a united front, and tell your children together, all as a family. Practice how you’ll break the news in advance; go in with a plan and make sure it’s clear you are in this together.
• Be honest: Never, ever lie to your children about your divorce. You don’t need to give an in-depth explanation about why you’re getting divorced, but you should be upfront with a basic reason, such as not being able to get along anymore.
• Make sure they know they’re loved: It’s crucial children know the divorce is not their fault—it is a natural response for some children to feel they did something wrong that made their parents want to split up. Telling your children you love them and will always be there for them is critical.
• Avoid blame: Do not attempt to place blame on either parent. It’s very important that your children have a strong relationship with both parents, and trying to pass blame could jeopardize that.
• Talk about changes: There are going to be changes to your children’s everyday lives as the divorce processes and after it’s finalized. Make sure you address those changes right from the start, but emphasize that you will all work together to get through them and adjust.

For more information about how you can brace your children for divorce, contact an experienced Long Island divorce attorney at Solutions Divorce Mediation.