The timing of telling the kids about your impending divorce is important to their emotional well-being. I have experienced families whose children have found out from friends at school or by overhearing adults talking when they thought the kids were not listing. These are traumatizing experiences for the children.
It is best if the children are told directly by the parents together and then later again told by each individual parent alone.
Pick a time in the late morning or early afternoon when the children have some time left in the day to digest the information. Do not tell them at night just before bed. This can set everyone up for a long sleepless night.
Also, choose a day when they are off from school, like a Saturday. This gives them the weekend to process and ask questions.
Let them know that you will still be a family and that both of you will continue being their parents. The family is just being restructured.
Call a licensed professional in your area for more assistance on going through a divorce.
Dr. James E. Walton, Ph.D.
PeacefulDivorceLA.com
