Parents know that most of the decisions they make will impact their children. For parents on infants and toddlers, the impacts of what they do can be considerable since these are very formative years. If you’re considering filing for a divorce, you might be concerned about how it might affect your kids.
One thing to remember is that remaining in a volatile marriage might be worse for your children. Traumatic stress during the childhood years can lead to a host of problems. These include an increased risk of substance abuse and mental illness. It’s also possible that emotional stress during the childhood years may increase the chance of them having a metabolic disorder or heart disease as an adult, even if their adult years aren’t highly stressful.
If you’re concerned about the way divorce might affect your infant or toddler, you can try to reduce the tension that comes along with the situation. Kids at this young age can feel your stress, and they’re likely going to pick up on your emotions. Because of this, you have to try to remain calm even when the divorce is causing you distress.
Kids who are thing young need a lot of love and affection. Be sure that you don’t let that fall by the wayside just because of the divorce. They also need the consistency of a routine, so try to keep things as normal as possible for them.
If you’re facing the end of your marriage and have a young child, remember that you’ll still have to deal with their other parent for years going forward. Even when the romantic relationship ends, the parenting relationship remains. Trying to start this off on the right note, with respect, can benefit everyone involved, including your child because it sets a positive example for the kids.
