With so much emphasis on whether parties should divorce during the holidays, or how people contemplating divorce should prepare for when they decide to file, we find it appropriate to focus this post on children. For kids, the holidays are supposed to be a special time, and oftentimes parents lose sight of what is really important during this time of year. When their parents are breaking up, a child may feel tremendous feelings of guilt or they simply may not be able to enjoy the season.
Because of this, we believe that special attention should be paid to kids of divorce (particularly young children) during this season. We offer a few tips for parents to follow, but they should not be construed to be legal advice.
Take care of yourself – This may seem obvious, but it is always surprising how many divorcing parents succumb to health problems because they are tired, stressed out and susceptible to sickness. Simply put, maintain your physical health as well as your mental health.
Make sure that kids know they are special – Since kids have a knack for blaming themselves for their parents’ divorces, it is critical to tell your children that you love them. Even with kind words, spending time with them can mean much more to them than you may think.
Celebrate gifts that they receive from the other parent – This is important because to a child, the other parent is still loved and adored. So criticizing a gift from that parent is like criticizing the child. With that, try to applaud the gifts the other parent gives.
Source: HuffingtonPost.com, “Making the best of this pre-divorce holiday season,” Bari Zell Weinberger, November 22, 2013
