How do you tell your child about your divorce?

Connecticut parents like you want what is best for your child regardless of the situation. This makes divorce difficult, because you know you will do some harm regardless of how you handle the situation.

Still, there are some ways that allow you to mitigate damage better than others. Like this, you can decide how to tell your child about your upcoming divorce.

Every child is different

Psychology Today discusses some ways to break the news of divorce to your child. Generally speaking, they suggest taking advice with a grain of salt. This is because all children react to divorce in different ways. There is no one single cookie-cutter response to divorce, nor is there a surefire way of breaking the news with the least amount of damage.

Instead, you should browse around and gather as much information as possible. From there, you can look at your child’s personality, maturity level and reactions to other stressors. Based on that, you can create a workable strategy.

Working with your co-parent

However, they do suggest that you and your co-parent work together. No matter how you decide to tackle the topic, you should present a unified front. This means discussing how you will handle the conversation in advance. Do a practice run-through if you feel it will help. From there, you can choose what information you want to give and what to hold back. After all, your child does not need to know everything. But they should still be privy to some information, like future custody arrangements.

The final bit of advice is to tell them sooner rather than later about the divorce. You may be reasonably hesitant to broach the subject, but waiting does not do anyone any good. Telling them early gives them more time to cope, process and prepare.