Individuals in Pennsylvania typically walk down the aisle with the goal of keeping their marriages intact long term. Unfortunately, irreconcilable differences make this impossible to achieve sometimes, and although this can certainly take an emotional toll on the spouses, it can be even more problematic for young children. Fortunately, when divorce cannot be avoided, divorce mediation can help to make the marital breakup process as amicable as possible for the entire family. Here are a couple of other steps that parents can take to make divorce easier on the children.
First, it is wise for divorcing parents to keep their children’s lives as routine and consistent as possible. This helps the children to feel more in control during the divorce and thus more capable of handling the changes that come with divorce. It is important for the parents to communicate about what they are doing at their individual homes with regard to grades and chores, for example, to ensure that they are on the same page.
Second, parents would be wise to emphasize to their young children that they are not to blame for the divorce. In many situations, children feel that they caused their parents’ divorce because their behavior was not good enough. To help their children, parents can honestly answer any questions that their children ask and stress that the children are loved and have nothing to do with their parents’ decision to split up.
The process of getting divorced in Pennsylvania can no doubt be tough for both parents and their children. However, if the parents can address child custody and other issues outside of court, this can help to reduce the type of conflict that often comes with divorce. Divorce mediation offers divorcing parents the chance to create a mutually satisfactory parenting plan that reflects both parents’ wishes as well as the children’s needs.