There are several overwhelming factors tied into the finalization of a divorce. The process itself may cause a breakdown of trust and communication between you and your ex-spouse as you both have decided to start a new life separate from your once-partner. Although it may seem that there are significant amounts of every-day activities that are now affected or that have entirely changed, there are also great steps you can take to have a healthy divorce that will keep the family “together.”
For starters, encourage your co-parent and children to have open and healthy conversations. Encourage strategizing and solving problems after hearing them.
Continue to include your co-parent in decisions involving your children, to help create that trust and communication you may have thought your family had lost.
Begin calling your ex-spouse your co-parent. Leave behind calling he/she your “Ex” or “former husband/wife”. Utilizing healthy terms to refer to your co-parent is an appreciable way to re-earn respect and trust between one another. This strategy will also help other seemingly relevant people or relatives view your co-parenting relationship in a healthy way.
Balance. Be aware of the details you disclose to your children, and make sure you are not disclosing financial information or other adult subjects.
It is extremely important to also be aware of your body language and the way you speak to/about your co-parent, as it is not healthy to talk negatively about your co-parent to your children.
Acceptance. Accept the hardships that may arise over the horizon. Remember that your children deserve two parents who choose to work together to continue raising them. Accept the glory in turning a scary situation into a successful one where your co-parent and children understand the transition to the extent that is necessary and feel comfortable enough to raise their concerns.
Surround yourself with those who support and care about you. Ask for help, either from friends or family, or from confidential professionals. Remember that you are not alone, and there are still endless opportunities in the world for you, even though you went through a divorce. It is so hard to fully comprehend or digest the separation between you and your partner.
It is hard to fully comprehend the road ahead for you and your family. But taking these steps, one by one, will help your family transition in a healthy way. There is certainly a way to go about this post-divorce process without hostility or toxicity. Your family is still a team. Your family is not destroyed, it is stronger.
Leave a Comment: