Children should always be taken care of, as they are not legally capable of advocating effectively for their own needs. When their parents divorce, kids must receive the things they need. This often requires that parents work together to make it happen.
There are a few vital rights children have. Whether you’re co-parenting or using a different style, keeping these needs in mind can help you to ensure that you’re doing what’s best.
1. Meaningful relationships with family members
Children should generally have meaningful relationships with the people on both sides of their family, as long as the adults involved are fit to care for those children in meaningful ways. Some children feel bad when they’re relaying their good times to one parent when that parent isn’t involved. Letting your children know that you encourage those relationships can be beneficial because they may not feel as anxious about making positive memories with other individuals.
2. Consistency in their social life
Extracurricular activities and things that have to do with school should remain consistent throughout a divorce process, if possible. Children who are going through a major life change such as this will often count on the support of their friends and trusted adults. Being able to continue with these activities and spending time with people they’re close to may help to make the divorce a bit less stressful. It may behoove you to tell the adults who interact with the children about the divorce so they are prepared to help them if necessary.
3. Stability as they adjust to the new way of life
Children need to have stability as they learn to adjust to a new way of life. This comes in many forms, including having similar rules in both homes and making sure both parents follow their parenting time schedule.
Children who are going through their parents’ divorce should be provided with the things they need even though there’s a major life upheaval. Making sure you have a workable parenting plan in place can help you to ensure that your kids are cared for. The terms of this arrangement should focus primarily on what they need now because the agreement can potentially be modified when their circumstances change significantly.