Children and Divorce: The Emotional Strain of Divorce on Your Child

 Posted on December 00,0000 in Children of divorce

Divorce always comes with a multitude of challenges for children. Depending on their age, they will cope with the end of their family unit in their own unique ways as they become used to life with a single parent or splitting their time between their mother and father.

Custodial parents should be aware of their child’s emotional well being as a divorce can lead to the child experiencing fears of desertion and feelings of guilt. Younger children may undergo developmental regression while older children could develop sleep disorders.

How Might Your Child Cope with Divorce?

How a child copes with divorce varies based on age and the child’s personality. Infants may experience separation anxiety, making them irritable and scared, and causing them to cry more frequently. Toddlers may revert to an earlier development stage in areas such as sleeping, eating, emotional independence, motor activity, language, or toilet training.

Preschool-age children may experience feelings of guilt as they become convinced they are the reason for their parent’s divorce. School-age children are better able to handle separation. However, their greater awareness of the divorce situation may lead to fears of abandonment. Typical reactions at this stage include depression, anger, and anxiety.

Most children will recover from the trauma of divorce within one to three years. Subsequent long-term studies have revealed that persistent negative effects can follow a child through to adolescence and beyond. However, mental health professionals have argued that a divorce can be less damaging than the continuation of a troubled marriage.

Parents can ease the trauma of divorce by maintaining as much normalcy as possible after the separation by sticking to routines such as bedtime, mealtimes, rules of behavior, and methods of discipline. Relaxing limits during this time can make children feel insecure.

Once you have finalized your divorce, consider researching ways to guide your child through this trying time.

Call a Family Lawyer in DuPage County, Ill.

If you are going through a divorce, child custody, or support dispute, an experienced DuPage County family attorney may be able to help. Mr. Williams of the Law Office of Matthew M. Williams, P.C has been helping families resolve family law issues for nearly 10 years. Contact his office today at 630-409-8184.