Helping Your Child Cope with Divorce Through the Holidays

Staying Holly and Jolly

The holidays can be a wonderful time with family and friends celebrating and having fun, but for children dealing with divorce, this time can be a bit more difficult than they are used to. They may really start to struggle with their new family situation when the holidays are supposed to be about family gatherings.

Here are some ways you can help your children cope with your divorce during the holiday season.

Make a Plan

Going into the holiday season, you may begin to feel overwhelmed by your custody case and how it will affect your child, especially if you and your spouse are separated. Your child can also feel overwhelmed, and you may be worried about how they feel during custody exchanges. However, your custody exchanges can go smoothly if you and your ex-spouse have a plan in place.

Inform your child about what the holidays will look like; doing so helps them set expectations about their time and how it will be spent. If they can see a cooperative spirit between you and your ex-spouse, they may enjoy the season much more.

Be Positive

While this might sound simple, there are a variety of ways you can display a more positive attitude during a difficult season. For example, if your child starts telling you about something they did with the other parent or their family, try to avoid any negative reactions, as they may pick up on this and start to view their enjoyable experience in a negative light.

As difficult as it might sometimes be, especially if the relationship between you and your ex-spouse isn’t on the greatest of terms, staying positive can have a lasting effect on your child, both now and in the future. Do your best to keep their best interests first.

Embrace New Traditions While Engaging in Older Ones

Your child may need some sense of normalcy during the holidays, and their new family situation is anything but normal for them. Try engaging in traditions that you used to do prior to the divorce; having them bake cookies or take part in another family tradition can help them feel that there is some stability even after a divorce. Along the same line, however, now is a great time to start a new tradition of some type. Something new pairs well with a former activity, as the combination can help a child feel stability while also moving forward.

Do You Have Holiday Custody Issues?

Unfortunately, the holidays can be a prime time for custody issues. If you have something come up that interferes with your current custody order, it’s important to speak with an attorney as soon as possible to put that interference to a stop. At Anne E. Raduns, PA, children come first, and our goal is to help you and your children move forward and have the best possible outcome.

To schedule a consultation or to get started on your custody matters, call us at (352) 310-8235 or visit us online.