What Happens to Children Emotionally During Divorce

Parents are very often too wrapped up in their own troubles and pain to notice what their children might be experiencing during a divorce proceeding. For children, the emotions experienced during the divorce may range from frustration and anger, depression and sadness, to indifference.

Immediately, parents begin to think about discipline when their child shows signs of anger or aggression, when what is most needed is understanding, compassion, and perhaps some outside intervention in the form of therapy. A counselor can offer the child a safe and uninvolved perspective and haven for expressing their emotions in a healthy way and working through them. Child therapists are adept at dealing with the many emotional disturbances caused by divorce, and can offer a viable alternative when speaking with your child yourselves yields no result.

Although the therapist can and should be utilized however, it is still up to the parents to continually reassure the child about the changes that will happen in their life. Finding the time to support your children emotionally, and reassure them that they will not be alone while discussing those things that will change for them directly, will go a long way toward healing any trauma caused by the fracture of the family.

Children can become seriously depressed over the break-up of the family unit. In particular if they have nothing to base the sudden parting on in terms of anger between their parents. This is seen most often in situations where the parents will try to hide their arguments from the children and pretend that everything is okay. While the children invariably know that everything is not 'okay', they are typically content and feel safe enough that the adults will work through their differences, because they see no outward signs of discord.

Feeling guilty about your decision is also detrimental studies say, adding to the guilt the child already feels since most children believe initially that their parents divorce is because of something that they did or did not do themselves. Speak to a professional therapist, in addition to an experienced family law attorney, if you or your spouse are considering divorce and have children living at home.
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If you have questions about this posting or are interested in Divorce, Immigration, or Estate Law in RI or MA contact Massachusetts and Rhode Island Divorce Lawyer Rui P. Alves at 401-942-3100 or CONTACT him via email.