For Texas children, divorce has an outsize impact that parents often struggle to minimize. While children cannot be completely sheltered from the effects of a divorce, there are steps that parents can take to help their children during this difficult time. A mixture of communication and normalcy can help children make it through the divorce.
One of the main things that a parent must do is to focus on their children. While the parent should not be looking to their children for support, they should still spend time with their children and pay close attention to them. When they are with the kids, they should check in with them frequently to see how they are handling the changes in their life. The parent should be open and transparent without speaking negatively about the other parent.
For the children, while their lives are changing in some ways, parents should maintain some sense of continuity. This means that previous expectations for the children are still in place. Children should still have structure, even if that structure is different than what existed before. Parents should still have behavioral expectations for children and should resist the urge to loosen the rules or try to be the “fun parent” in order to win the children’s favor. Guiding children through a divorce is not easy, but it is possible with forethought and effort.
If a parent is beginning the divorce process and needs to learn more information about their legal rights, they should contact a child custody lawyer. The attorney may lay out the various considerations for their client and help them devise a desired parenting time schedule. They might then negotiate the custody agreement with the other parent or their attorney in a manner that upholds and advances the best interests of the children.