Divorce is difficult for everyone in the family, including your children. Children often have trouble coping mentally after a difficult divorce. While children can learn many life lessons from divorce, it is challenging for them to adapt to the new situation. To make this process easier on your little ones, you can learn how to help your child cope mentally with divorce.
Too often, parents feel so stressed during divorce that they forget to explain the situation to their child or avoid the dreaded conversation. While it is difficult to discuss divorce with your child, it is a conversation that must happen for their mental well-being. Take some time to sit and talk with your child, explain any changes that may occur, and answer any questions they might have.
Too often, children keep their feelings bottled up on the inside. When your children explain their emotions to you, listen and validate their feelings. You can say, “I can see why you feel this way. Is there anything I can do to help?” Listening to your children and understanding their points of view can make the divorce process easier for them to handle.
When learning how to help your child cope mentally with divorce, you need to offer support. If you notice your child is feeling down, ask if you can do anything to help. If your children do not respond well to questions, you can make a few suggestions, such as taking a walk together, seeing a movie, or doing an activity or hobby that they love.
Extracurricular and creative activities are great ways for children to handle the stress of divorce. Extracurricular activities can include sports, such as soccer, volleyball, and baseball, and creative activities, such as art, dance, and pottery classes. A few other suggestions are karate, gymnastics, robotics class, basketball, football, and more.