Going through a divorce with children can be one of the most stressful aspects of a case. Needless to say, every family is different. The way that your children are ultimately impacted by divorce will depend largely on your family’s circumstances, your relationship with your children, your spouse’s relationship with the children, and how each of you approaches this subject as a team. Sometimes that is the more difficult part of this whole conversation. Namely, being able to attack a problem with your Co-parent rather than as individuals.
To be sure, many times, you will find that the problems you experience with your children regarding divorce R were simply unavoidable. Once the divorce becomes a part of your life, there is little that you can do to combat feelings and negative emotions on the part of your child. The best thing that you can do is understand that those impacts can be minimal and mitigated if you attempt to coordinate with your Co-parent about how to approach them. Much of the time, you’re getting a divorce that impacts your children most acutely in the sense that they believe that they are not in a solid place as far as their relationship with either you or your Co-parent is concerned.
What sort of relationship do you have with your children?
This is a difficult question for you to ask, but one that I think will be instructive regarding determining what sort of impact your divorce will have on your kids. I find that households, where the parents and children discussed topics freely in an open and honest environment tend to do better in a divorce scenario than families that are more closed off and not as communicative. I understand that you may be a great parent, and this is not about comparisons. However, I find that the only thing that could potentially mitigate the impact of a divorce on children is communication.
As a result, I recommend assessing the state of your relationship with your children is. It’s not as if you will be able to make up for any deficits in communication that you have experienced over the years. Not everyone is a great or even willing communicator with your children. Every family can attempt to make improvements in this regard with love and concern as the motivating factors. Again, as your children begin to understand what divorce means, they will have questions, period; it is your job as a parent to answer those questions as well as you can and as honestly as possible.
This is where you need to approach the topic from the perspective of someone who is willing to ask questions but who is not completely engaged in wanting to dominate the conversation. I recommend speaking to dear children about the divorce and asking them questions about how they feel, period; from there, you should allow your child to do more talking and for you to do most of the listening. Sometimes we can feel uncomfortable or awkward in these conversations, and we attempt to take up space by inserting our own opinions or words into the void.
Rather, I recommend setting aside any instinct you have to dominate the conversation and working with your child to help him, or she understand their feelings and emotions based on the specific circumstances out of your life. While you can only account for your actions or inactions, there is a lot to be said for any effort you make on your own to build and maintain a relationship with your children despite the divorce. I will not be so bold as to say that divorce can improve your relationship with your children. However, I think that a divorce certainly can change the tenor of your relationship possible for the best in the long run.
Working with your Co-parent to communicate about issues regarding the divorce
I can fully appreciate that your family may not be in a position where you and your spouse are on speaking terms right now. The fact that you are going through a divorce tells me that things could be better at home and that you may be better off attempting to have conversations like this without your parent weighing into what you want to say. While some conversation is almost certainly better than no conversation, the reality is that the impact of your words can be amplified when your Co-parent stands behind what you have to say.
Do not underestimate the impact of your child seeing you and your Co-parent set aside your differences to communicate honestly about the reality of an upcoming divorce. If you and your Co-parent are on speaking terms, I will do my best to speak to them early and often before the case is filed to coordinate a message to your children. It can be very impactful for your children to see both of their parents work together to do what is best for the kids despite any ongoing problems in the household.
You should attempt to do so even if you all do not agree on every subject under the sun. You and your Co-parent never agreed on every subject under the sun regarding parenting. However, you all were hopefully able to set aside your differences and work towards bettering each of your lives in addition to the children’s lives. This is the kind of effort that I recommend you attempt to undertake as you work towards establishing an open line to communicate with your children.
Being a unified front regarding your divorce and your children can be such an uplifting message for your children to receive. Sitting down with them in person as a family to discuss the topics of your divorce can be an extremely reassuring thing for your kids. This may not seem like much of a gesture to you, but it almost assuredly will be to your children. Seeing you and your co-parent physically together can be enough to cause your child to feel more sure of their place in the family and that the family will be intact to a large extent even after the divorce. Do not assume that your words are meaningless to your children. Instead, go out of your way to communicate to them at an age-appropriate level along with your Co-parent.
Having age-appropriate discussions with your child about divorce
An important consideration for you as you approach a divorce is how and when to discuss the case with your child. Completely ignoring the divorce and trying to avoid ever discussing it with your child about the case is probably not the right path to take. On the other hand, you do not want to overshare information and overwhelm your child in the process. So, I suppose the discussion we need to have is how to have a balanced perspective on the case and keep your child involved in an important matter in their life and not overwhelming them.
Like anything else that we discuss regarding a divorce, every family is different. You know, or hopefully now, what kind of language to use with your children regarding important subjects like this. I would never be able to tell you exactly what to say to your child about the divorce that you are in the process of getting. Some children can be spoken to more directly, while others cannot process information in that way. Again, it would help if you consorted with your Co-parent on the best way to attack this issue as a team.
For starters, when it comes to younger children, I would likely skimp on the details and tell them only information that applies to them daily. Namely, you and your spouse love your children, and that nothing about this case will stop that. Additionally, it would be best if you tried to listen and answer questions as you do talking. Simply being with your child in a moment like that is important. Even if they do not have any questions, that would be understandable. After all, young children take more time to process information like that.
Next, if your children are in elementary school-aged, they may have questions about what it means for them in terms of going to school, their friends, and things of that nature. In this way, I would be as direct with the kids as possible in telling them that their lives may change to a certain degree, but you and your Co-parent are going to do everything possible to minimize disruption in their lives. You can even give them examples of how Visitation in possession may or may not work in your case so that they can prepare themselves for changes that will be upcoming.
Teenagers are better able to handle and understand issues in a divorce. They have a greater level of maturity; they may even have friends whose parents have gotten divorced. With that said, I will caution you about sharing too much information with your teenage children. Teenagers may look in many ways act like mature adults at times but remember they are still children. Overwhelming them with details about the case may lead your children to feel uncomfortable or view circumstances in an incorrect light. Rather, I would recommend doing a great deal of question answering and listening when it comes to talking to your older children about the divorce.
Whatever age your children are, I think there are many benefits in being able to discuss the case together with your Co-parent in person. There is something about physical togetherness during this part of a case that can be impactful and important for your children. Again, simply having your children see you in your Co-parent together can give them some degree of reassurance that their life is not completely about to get turned upside down.
Take advantage of all the time during your divorce with your children.
In an age of digital everything, the Internet being everywhere and distractions abounding, it can be easy to lose yourself in your thoughts and your little world. You may be transitioning into a new job or even into a new role with your existing company. The divorce will be a possible distraction for you now and into the future. However, I would do everything to make sure that you are physically and mentally present with your kids at every opportunity you have during the divorce.
I often hear from parents that children are obsessed with cell phones. The reality is that your child is not obsessed with the cell phone. Rather, your child is obsessed with you. This is especially true for younger children. When your younger children see you on the phone, they too want to be on the phone. My recommendation will be to put the phone away and focus on your children as much as possible when they are with you. There is nothing wrong with having outside interests or being concerned about your divorce. However, there is a time and a place for that and a time for being present with your kids. Ultimately, the transition into a new job or even your divorce will come to a close. However, your relationship with your children is ongoing and much more important.
Another factor to consider when managing your time with your kids during a divorce is to make sure that you negotiate a Visitation and possession schedule that works well with your schedule. The reality is that all of us have varying degrees of busy times with work and logistical issues getting to and from places. While your life may be a little more sedentary right now due to the pandemic, keep in mind that your life may become busier or at least more mobile once the pandemic subsides. Meaning, just because a Visitation arrangement works for you right now does not mean that it will be six months or a year into the future.
For example, many parents negotiate. Visitation arrangements are so precise in pick-up and drop-off times that even a slight traffic jam or delay at work can cause you to miss our scheduled Visitation session. You may be able to get away with tight squeezes as far as your schedule is concerned right now, but keep in mind that once your schedule gets back to normal, this will be difficult for you. You should consider this before negotiating any Visitation or possession arrangement with your Co-parent.
A word to the wise that it is difficult to renegotiate a custody agreement once it is in place. It is certainly possible for you and your Co-parent to hammer out agreements with one another on the fly based on your family’s needs. However, I would not bank on this happening. Instead, you should act like near 1 opportunity to get it right is at the time of your divorce. Work with your attorney to ensure that you are taking into consideration as many relevant circumstances as possible. Do not assume that you can come back and modify your case in the future if circumstances change.
Part of taking advantage of as much time as possible with your children is having a relationship with your Co-parent such that you all can discuss Visitation and possession without becoming overly upset with one another. Part of parenting is managing expectations and delivering information to the other parent, which may or may not upset them. This much cannot be avoided. However, if you can build up a certain degree of goodwill with your Co-parent, then you will be better off.
For example, you can work with your Co-parent to discuss how you prefer to communicate during the week. For some people, email might work better during the workweek. For others, text messaging or phone calls are the best options available. Whatever position you find yourself in, be sure to communicate readily with your Co-parent. This will go a long way to ensuring the both of you get as much as you can out of the relationship and benefit your children to the utmost.
Questions about the material contained in today’s blog post? Contact the Law Office of Bryan Fagan
If you have any questions about the material contained in today’s blogpost, please do not hesitate to contact the Law Office of Bryan Fagan. Our licensed family law attorneys offer free of charge consultation six days a week in person, over the phone, and via video. These consultations are a great way for you to learn more about the world of Texas family law and to learn how your family circumstances may be impacted by the filing of a divorce or child custody case.
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The Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC, routinely handles matters that affect children and families. If you have questions regarding Divorce, it’s essential to speak with one of our Houston, TX Child Divorce Lawyers right away to protect your rights.
Our Divorce lawyers in Spring, TX, are skilled at listening to your goals during this trying process and developing a strategy to meet those goals. Contact the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC by calling (281) 810-9760 or submit your contact information in our online form. The Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC, handles Divorce cases in Houston, Texas, Cypress, Klein, Humble, Kingwood, Tomball, The Woodlands, the FM 1960 area, or surrounding areas, including Harris County, Montgomery County, Liberty County, Chambers County, Galveston County, Brazoria County, Fort Bend County, and Waller County.
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Bryan Fagan, a native of Atascocita, Texas, is a dedicated family law attorney inspired by John Grisham’s “The Pelican Brief.” He is the first lawyer in his family, which includes two adopted brothers. Bryan’s commitment to family is personal and professional; he cared for his grandmother with Alzheimer’s while completing his degree and attended the South Texas College of Law at night.
Married with three children, Bryan’s personal experiences enrich his understanding of family dynamics, which is central to his legal practice. He specializes in family law, offering innovative and efficient legal services. A certified member of the College of the State Bar of Texas, Bryan is part of an elite group of legal professionals committed to ongoing education and high-level expertise.
His legal practice covers divorce, custody disputes, property disputes, adoption, paternity, and mediation. Bryan is also experienced in drafting marital property agreements. He leads a team dedicated to complex family law cases and protecting families from false CPS allegations.
Based in Houston, Bryan is active in the Houston Family Law Sector of the Houston Bar Association and various family law groups in Texas. His deep understanding of family values and his professional dedication make him a compassionate advocate for families navigating Texas family law.
