The divorce process is stressful enough for each parent, but bringing the children into it adds an entire new layer of difficulty. It’s important that you are honest and straightforward with your children and approach the subject with tact and sensitivity. 

The following are some tips for telling your children that you and your spouse are getting divorced: 

• Keep the focus on the kids. Don’t bad mouth the other parent, or burden them with information that they don’t really need to know. Think about their happiness, rather than trying to force them to see things from your perspective and favor you in the relationship. 

• Present a unified front. Kids will feel far more secure if both parents sit down together and explain the situation, and you both have the same set of expectations and boundaries. Put aside the differences you have with your spouse to make sure that you keep a good parental relationship, even though you are ending your spousal relationship. 

• Make sure the kids understand they’re not at fault. It’s natural for children to feel some element of responsibility whenever their parents get divorced. But make sure that your kids know that they didn’t cause the divorce, and that it was a decision that the two of you made. 

• Do not mention a divorce until you are completely sure it’s happening. The last thing children need to know is that their parents are engaged in a bitter argument with the potential of divorce—that causes a lot of strife and will cause them to think that there is a way they can alter the future. Make sure that your decision is final before you mention anything to the children. 

• Stay calm. Once you have told your children that you’re getting a divorce, make sure that you stay calm and self-assured. They’re constantly going to be watching you, and as soon as you start to break, they will as well. For their sake, it’s important to remain calm and composed in front of them. 

Divorce is a difficult time for the entire family. Work with the southern Maryland divorce attorneys at Mudd, Mudd & Fitzgerald, P.A. to make the process as easy and stress-free as possible.