How can working together help the children of divorce?

Divorce by nature has a disruptive effect on the households that involve it. However, parents can take steps to make it less turbulent, especially for their children.

One of the best ways to do this is through collaboration and setting aside differences to work together.

The importance of cooperation

Collaborative divorce is an alternative option that involves both parents working together to reach an agreeable conclusion for all matters of the split, such as asset division, child custody and spousal support.

Generally speaking, it takes a level of cooperation and willingness to work together for collaborative divorce to work. Needless to say, this is sometimes hard for a divorcing couple to achieve.

However, one potential motivator is the fact that studies show that children of collaborative divorcing parents tend to have better coping mechanisms and fewer or less intense cases of anxiety, depression and stress or trauma disorders.

A major source of trauma

One of the most traumatic aspects of divorce for many children is seeing their parents argue with one another. Any vicious behavior will mark itself deeply into a child’s psyche and lead to them feeling fear about the stability of their future and their relationships with their parents.

Arguments can even change a child’s perspective of a parent, depending on the things said or the overall anger involved in the dispute itself.

Thus, parents can reduce a child’s trauma and stress by behaving civilly with one another and acting in a way that shows their child that cooperation is still possible, even in stressful situations.