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Letting your child know about the custody situation

On Behalf of | May 16, 2017 | Child Custody |

Divorce can be messy, and parents in Texas may be tempted to keep their child in the dark for as long as possible so they won’t have to witness it. Unfortunately, it’s crucial for children to be informed about any custody changes or the divorce on a whole, and keeping them out of the loop may actually do more harm than good.

Most experts agree that it’s important to tell children about an impending divorce as soon as it’s finalized, and they also agree that the method of informing them is of utmost importance. The Huffington Post lists out nine things that should be considered before breaking the news, like allotting time for children to react and drafting out what needs to be said before having the conversation. Cooperation is also vital: if parents play the blame game or exert obvious hostility, it will negatively impact the children.

The Marriage Place agrees, stating that children will almost always be able to detect falsehoods anyway. They are often more observant than they are given credit for and will likely notice small changes and differences in household harmony. If they ask a question about the possibility of divorce directly and parents lie about it, not only will this lie likely be found out, but it may create an atmosphere of distrust.

How parents go about breaking the news can differ vastly from situation to situation and may depend on many factors, like the age of the child. However, it’s almost unanimously agreed that the news should be broken, and sooner rather than later.

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