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Florida parents may have trouble telling children about divorce

On Behalf of | Jul 11, 2014 | Firm News |

Florida divorce can be hard on the parties. The separation can be even more emotionally scarring for any children involved. Suddenly, everything in the child’s life is changing, and this can often be overwhelming. However, if the parents tell the child about the divorce at the right time, this could help ease the emotional pain.

The point in time that the child should be told about the separation depends on the age of the child. If the child is 5 years old or younger, the parents should probably tell him or her a couple of days before the two individuals actually separate. It is generally thought that children who are about 6 to 12 years old should be given about a week to process the information before the separation takes place.

Teenagers should be given around two weeks to come to terms with the split before it actually occurs. However, they may already know it’s coming, as older children often see the signs. The important thing, of course, is that parents tell their children at some point before the separation takes place.

Unfortunately, no matter how much preparation takes place, divorce is not an easy process for either the parents or the kids. The children, in particular, may be worried about which parent will get custody of them and how visitation will be handled. The parties may be best served by trying to work out an amicable agreement concerning these issues in a concerted effort to make the process as easy as possible to cope with for the entire family. When that is simply not possible, a family law judge in Florida is typically asked to decide issues such as child custody and visitation with primary regard for the health and wellbeing of the children.

Source: wotv4women.com, “When to tell children about divorce“, Gail Saukas, July 4, 2014

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