When contemplating the prospect of ending a marriage, it is understandable for parents in Indiana to struggle with how the event may impact their children and how they should even tell their kids about a divorce. Breaking the news about any major life change may be difficult but there are clear steps parents can take to help their kids and set up an open line of communication for the following time.
Some parents who have multiple children, especially across a wide range of ages, may think they would need to have individual conversations with each child about the divorce. While this may be important and appropriate eventually, when it comes to the initial conversation and telling the kids about the divorce at the outset, Parents magazine suggests otherwise. When one child knows major information before the others, it can put a burden on that child to keep a secret from their siblings. A family meeting avoids this.
Also important is the presence of both parents at the same time. Spouses should prepare what they are going to say ahead of time, tell the kids together and focus on the event as a parental decision. Kids should hear consistent messages reinforcing that the divorce is not because of them in any way and that they are loved just as much as ever.
This information is not intended to provide legal advice but is instead meant to give divorcing spouses in Indiana some ideas of what they can do to make it easier to tell their kids that they are getting divorced.
