How Divorce Affects Children
Divorce changes many things in a family, with the most significant change being parenting. Time has to be invested in learning new techniques to relate with one another. The divorce takes one parent away, and they cannot enjoy their company and love as often as they like and were used to. This is likely to affect them negatively in various ways that may include:
Psychological effects
The divorce takes an emotional toll on the entire family. However, children are fragile and are affected more. Young children fail to understand why they have to be in two homes, and they do not understand why one parent went missing from their home. They may think they are not loved or are not safe enough.
Other children will worry that they are the cause of the divorce. Sadly they think they did something wrong or misbehaved, leading to the divorce. Teenagers may get angry about the divorce from the changes it brings. Others will feel relieved from the troublesome parent. This will depend on the cause of the divorce says Jennifer who filed Texas annulment last year.
Health effects
Too much stress is likely to cause health issues. Divorce does not spare you or the children stress. Some effects may result from the stress that may include mental illnesses. This can be detected in children and teenagers after parents get a divorce. In most cases, the stress can trigger a disorder in the children that will take months to disappear. However, studies have shown that there are patterns of anxiety and depression that need the parents' attention.
Social effects
Children are affected differently by divorce. Some children may experience withdrawal from relationships with friends and social activities. For instance, if the child is involved in games, they will no longer be interested. Some will shut out friends in fear that they want to mock their parents' divorce. It is important to watch out for the red flags as a parent. One way is reduced interaction with friends and age mates and an "I don't want to talk about it" attitude. Spending more time indoors is also a red flag to watch out for.
Some children may lose faith in the marriage institution simply because they do not want to be vulnerable to heartbreak. They also do not want to subject their children to similar turmoil they had to go through.
Most parents understand how much the effects of divorce affect their families. At other times they have no option since they cannot continue with their marriage. In most cases, the children require preparation by talking to them. Avoid going directly to the "we are getting a divorce" killer statement. Introduce the possibilities of a divorce and what good it may bring to the family. The approach will, however, depend on the cause of divorce pursuit.
The noncustodial parent should also support the child through social activities. Making use of the visitation time should be used to ease the impact the divorce may have caused. Ensure to know the limits of being nice to the child, for taking it too far may cause them to be spoilt.