Children whose parents live in the same home probably don’t know anything about what life would be like if their parents divorce. These kids have the stability of knowing that they’ll have both parents around in the house. Even when things aren’t perfect, the children will probably still look for this.
If you and your spouse opt to divorce, telling the children might be one of the hardest things you have to do. If you take a little time before you sit them down, you might be able to set a plan in motion that can help make the situation a bit easier on everyone.
Present a united front
Just because you and your ex are divorcing doesn’t mean that you have to battle each other in front of the kids. Instead, show the children that you are going to remain a parenting team with a common goal. You may find that this is beneficial to you because it may reduce the chance that they will try to play one parent against the other.
Talk to everyone at the same time
If you have more than one child, tell them all at the same time. No child should have to keep news of this magnitude quiet, but they’d be expected to do just that if you told them but hadn’t told a sibling yet. This also helps ensure that everyone gets the exact same information.
You can also help make the transition easier by coming up with the terms of the parenting plan early. This enables you to give the children the information about what’s going to happen, which provides them with stability.
