If you and your spouse have decided to divorce, you may have concerns about how this will affect many areas of your life as well as the lives of your children. You may specifically have concerns about how your children will do splitting their time between two households if you plan to co-parent.
Although the divorce rate hit a record low in the U.S. in 2019, according to the Institute for Family Studies, many parents and children still face similar challenges. The following strategies may help your children cope when sharing their time between two households.
Encourage communication
When your child requests to speak to another parent while in your care, help him or her with this process. Do not try and restrict communication with your co-parent when your children stay at your home.
Stick to similar rules
Talk to your co-parent about setting up a similar set of rules and boundaries for both of your households. These rules should apply to bedtimes, homework, discipline, screen time and other situations that affect your parenting and home life.
Avoid negative comments about your co-parent
Even if you feel anger, resentment or disappointment towards your co-parent following your divorce, do not speak negatively about your former spouse in front of your children. If you need to vent or work through your emotions, talk to a close friend, family member or therapist.
Your children may still struggle to transition to sharing their time between two households after your divorce. Plan on providing your children with plenty of one on one time and help them work through their emotions as you get used to this major change.