Every family is different. How children and parents deal with divorce can be vastly different also. However, despite the uniqueness of each family, Pennsylvania families may be interested in a few guidelines as to when it may be best to discuss an impending divorce with children.
For children who are of adolescent age, it may benefit them to know about the divorce a few weeks before an actual split. This may help them process how the news will affect them directly and give them time to discuss their feelings about the changes coming. For children of this age who are old enough to indicate where they wish to live, this time to reflect and decide can be crucial for how a custody negotiation moves forward.
Younger children may only need a few days to be informed before a split. For school age kids, a week may be best. Also, before parents do decide to have the discussion about the divorce details, it may benefit them to realize many children may already know about a divorce just from overhearing conversations.
While there is no surefire way to tell children about divorce and make the process easy for them to decipher, having some form of professional advice or guidelines may help Pennsylvania parents proceed in a more informed manner. Divorce, in general, is a time of upheaval. Each family member will be affected somehow, yet with proper communication and planning, that upheaval may be a little easier on everyone. Those parents that can maintain open lines of communication between them may find that reaching an agreement is less stressful than they anticipated.
Source: wotv4women.com, “When to tell children about divorce“, Gail Saukas, July 4, 2014
