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Providing emotional support for children during a divorce

Divorce hits both California children and their parents hard, and studies have shown that children will often experience behavioral changes as well as a number of negative emotions, including guilt and anxiety. This can lead to poor performance at school and kids blaming themselves for a divorce. How the parents handle the divorce can affect how their children weather the split, according to a study that has been published in the journal Pediatrics.

According to the co-author of the Pediatrics report, parents should be sure that they can handle their own emotions during the divorce. If counseling or therapy is required to help them get into a place to help their children cope with a divorce, they should be sure to seek it.

Research shows that most children experience difficulties adjusting during the first year after their parents divorce, but it may take as many as two or three years for them to really adjust to their new circumstances. To help children adapt more quickly and provide the emotional support they need, parents should consider counseling or therapy for them. It’s also very helpful to try to keep a child’s life as similar to before the divorce as possible. Contact with family and friends should stay the same if at all possible.

Divorces are complicated enough when the couple involved in the split are considered, but divorces involving children are often even more difficult. Along with the added emotional considerations, parents will also have to hash out family law-related matters, such as custody and child support. There are a variety of ways these issues can be settled, including through mediation or the court system. In many cases, though, couples can resolve these matters through a settlement agreement negotiated with the help of their respective attorneys.