Helping your Kids with Divorce During the Holidays
If you are in the midst of the divorce process and share kids with your ex, you may be wondering how to manage the holiday season and help your kids enjoy it and feel supported and loved. The divorce process can span several months, so many families are in the midst of a major life change this holiday season. Here are some tips for managing the stress of divorce during the holidays, the change, the newness and the uncertainty:
1. Plan: The holidays are not a time for last minute plans.
When you and your spouse divorce and you have kids, one of the main points of stress is how to develop a parenting plan and/or a custody agreement. Your children did not make the decision to divorce yet their lives are significantly impacted by this change. You may be wondering how to approach the custody process in a way that keeps your children’s best interest at the center of these decisions. Johnson Mediation is an experienced mediation company that specializes in helping families navigate the divorce process with a child-focused approach, conserving financial resources and reducing overall conflict.
When you stop and think about it, divorce is a decision made by two adults about the future of their marriage. However, if you have children, this decision has a far-reaching impact. Making decisions that put your children first is one way to minimize the difficulty for your kids and this can make the process easier for them. Johnson Mediation offers a wide range of divorce support services with the ultimate goal of a child-centered divorce. We can help you keep the well-being of your children as your top priority from the start of the process to the end.
Every marriage is different, and no two divorces are the same, but one thing that nearly all divorces have in common is conflict. If you share children, then you are probably already concerned with ways to protect them from the conflict between you and your spouse. The staff at Johnson Mediation offers a wide variety of resources that can help you with this important part of the process. Below are strategies to help you protect your children from the conflict and tension between you and your ex.
Deciding to divorce is more than a decision to make a logistical change in your life. For many couples, it represents a personal loss and can elicit emotions like regret, sadness, and disappointment. These emotions impact the two individuals in the marriage but also have an effect on the children from the marriage as well. There are strategies for reducing the emotional toll of a divorce on a family and the team at Johnson Mediation can help you find your way forward while you and your family heal.
It is impossible to protect your children completely from your divorce, but younger children present a unique challenge when it comes to helping them navigate the change. They are not able to communicate their needs as clearly and openly as older children, so you need to be able to interpret their behaviors and provide them with support that is age appropriate and make decisions that are in their best interest. Supporting their needs while you go through the emotional strain of a divorce adds another level of complexity.
