Emma’s Tips for Minimising the Impact of Separation on Children

17 Jul 2019

If you are separating and have children with your ex-partner, it is vital that you consider the impact this might have on your children. Here, we are going to discuss the steps you and your solicitor can do to minimise this impact.

What Can You Do to Help Your Children?

If you’re unsure whether your children are struggling, there are a number of signs that you should look out for.

You may notice a change in behaviour. This could be anything from rebellious behaviour towards you through to things like struggling to sleep, and varies according to age. If you spot any signs like this, you should address them straight away.

Both parents play a part in ensuring their children are supported when families separate. Firstly, you need to ensure that your children do not feel the need to ‘pick a side’. You should not criticise the other parent in front of your children, or involve them in conversations about the breakup, as this will increase the pressure on your children.

This leads on to the next point which is ensuring that your children do not witness arguments. Seeing their parents having frequent rows can often have lasting damage on a child, so it is important to stay civil with your ex-partner. Having conversations away from the children in a planned way will help.

It goes without saying that separation leads to great change for children’s lives, so you should ensure that they are still able to carry on routines as normal, such as going to school or eating at set mealtimes. If your children have a passionate hobby, you should encourage them to continue with this, as this will give them another routine which they can stick to.

The final thing that you can do to minimise the impact of divorce on children is by allowing them to ask important questions and in return giving them honest answers in an age-appropriate way. This will help your children express their feelings and reassure that it is OK to be feeling sadness, confusion, anger etc.

What Can a Solicitor do to Help Your Children?

As much as both parents can support their children, sometimes assistance from others is helpful. You might need advice on the arrangements from a solicitor or the help of a mediator to have the important conversations about what time the children spend with each of their parents.

Both our family solicitors are also trained mediators and as a result we can help you find the right way to communicate and make important decisions about your children.  Emma Hamilton Cole  our head of family team is also a specialist accredited mediator

We are aware, however, that children arrangements can sometimes be the most difficult of matters to resolve and if necessary, we can assist you in making a court application.

If you need our help in ensuring the impact of divorce on your children is minimised, get in touch with our friendly family law team, Emma and Charlotte. They can guide you every step of the way and ensure that your children’s lives are as unaffected as possible. Call us on 01202 484242 or email enquiries@williamsthompson.co.uk