Kid-Friendly Divorce (continued)

It's important to remember that a child and teen's family is the single most important and solid thing in their life. The breakup of that unit is a kid's worse fear and nightmare. One 13-year old said, "I tried everything to keep them together. When my mom threw all my dad's stuff out the window I tried bringing it back in the house. They got mad at me and told me to stay out of it. I hung onto his car door so that he couldn't leave. But no matter what I did my dad left us and the hurt won't go away". 

Neither of her parents had addressed the fact their daughter was hurting and that she, too, was being affected by their decision to divorce. They were so wrapped up in their own pain, their own struggles to get through this very painful time in their lives, that they'd not really thought about how their teen was handling it all until it was nearly too late. This girl began lashing out, her grades fell, she started drinking and smoking pot. She told me that she didn't even like doing those things. She was trying to get her parents' attention. Luckily, they took action before things escalated and before it was too late.

They realized that all of their fighting, pitting their teen one against the other, was causing her an enormous amount of anxiety and fear. Once they grasped the fact that the divorce is there issue, it's an adult issue, and once they began applying the tools provided they began to see improvements. They learned that a splintered marriage did not have to result in a splintered family.

Working together - for the sake of the kids

Parents who work together for the sake of their children will see that holding together the core family unit can be a reality for their kids, even if their parents are apart. So while your marriage is falling apart, remember your family doesn't have to. 

The Kid-Friendly Divorce class is designed for parents who want this to be a reality for their kids, and who want to work together as a team rather than making it bitter to the end.

There's help for parents

If you are going through a divorce and you feel you need help coping you can contact me by either e-mailing me at coaching@positivefamilysolutions.com or by calling me at 1-877-835-7589. I offer a free 30-minute consultation where we can explore what steps you can take to make yours a kid-friendly divorce. Not only will your children benefit, but your entire family will benefit.