After you and your spouse decide to end your marriage, you may worry about how this decision will affect your children. But this is a situation that many families navigate every year.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2019 in the U.S., 746,971 divorces and annulments occurred. If you have concerns about how to tell your children about your impending divorce, these strategies may help.
1. Draft a script
Before you sit down and tell your children about your divorce, write out a script that outlines what you and your spouse will say. Having a script to go off of can help you stay calm and prevent you from saying something you will later regret.
2. Pick a good time
Do not break the news about your divorce when your children feel tired or hungry. You should also refrain from having this conversation the day before a major event, like one of your children’s birthdays.
3. Explain what happens next
Your children will want to know what happens next, and you should have a basic plan to tell them about. For example, let them know if your spouse will be moving out or if you and your spouse will continue to live together until the divorce is final.
Your children may exhibit a variety of emotions after you tell them about your divorce, and they may not be what you expect. Plan to be there for your children more than usual as they work through these emotions and process this news.
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