Advice for Divorcing Parents
Posted on 03. Apr, 2009 by Alabama Divorce Lawyer, Jim Jeffries in Child Custody
If you have read this blog for any length of time, then you know that one of the issues that drove me to and sustains me in practicing family law is my desire to reduce the pain of divorce on children.
Often the parents get so caught up in the emotion of the divorce, they overlook the effect that their behavior is having on their children.
In this article in the Kansas City Star, Gary Kretchmer, director of domestic relations division in Johnson County Missouri, outlines the worst things and the best things that divorcing parents can do to a child. His advice and experience echoes mine, and I commend it to any parent that is going through a divorce. Keep it in mind and your children will benefit greatly. Ignore it and they will suffer the consequences.
Worst things a divorcing parent can do to a child:
- Criticize the other parent.
- Make the child feel guilty for loving the other parent.
- Use the child to spy on the other parent.
- Ask the child to serve as a messenger to the other parent.
Best things a divorcing parent can do for a child:
- Respect the other parent.
- Use a cooperative rather than competitive spirit with the other parent.
- Try to rebuild at least a level of trust.
- Work on communicating well.