Imagine you are a child and your parents are divorcing. You know that things are going to be different and maybe a little scary, but you don’t know exactly what is going to happen. One day, you are told that you will suddenly be splitting your time between both of your parents in two different households. At this point, your fear and confusion is likely to increase.
In our Los Angeles family law practice, we have seen parents worry themselves to the point of collapse about child custody issues. We have witnessed bad behavior and ugly negotiation tactics all in the name of doing what is best for the child. With all of this attention focused on making child custody decisions, you might think children of divorce are well-prepared for custody transitions. Unfortunately, that is not always the case.
Of all the things that parents might overlook when divorcing, failure to prepare the children for custody transitions is one of the most unfortunate. No parent ever means to overlook such an important issue, yet we have seen child preparation fall through the cracks many times as parents put most of their attention on the legal matters surrounding child custody.
To help you avoid this lack of preparation, we ask you to put yourself in your child’s shoes. What would you want to know about child custody transitions? How would you like to be told about changes in living arrangements and other issues? Would you like to know about these changes as early as possible? Would you feel safer if both parents talked about child issues with you?
Helping your children adjust to new living arrangements and child custody transitions ahead of time promotes security and makes them feel safe and loved. If you would like additional advice about communicating with your kids about divorce, please visit our website.