What Does Divorcing Your Partner Mean for Your Family?
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 530,000 couples reportedly lived together unmarried in the 1970s. This figure increased to 5.5 million, illustrating the startling rise in divorce rates in the latter half of the 20th century. In reality, family life has changed significantly in the last few decades.
It can be extremely challenging to deal with a family’s breakdown after separation or divorcing your partner. There is no right or wrong way to handle a separation or divorce; everyone deals with it uniquely. Nevertheless, understanding how divorce and separation affect family members can be helpful.
Child-Parent Relationships
The first negative aspect of divorce is being separated from your kids. The primary outcome of divorce, and the parental dispute that precedes the divorce, is a decline in the parent-child bond. Most parents experience two distinct sets of issues: adjusting to their intrapsychic conflicts and being divorced. For many, the stress of divorce can deteriorate or even ruin the parent-child bond if you’re not careful.
Support
Compared to children from intact families, divorced households score substantially lower in parental support. By the time a child is in high school and college, these negative ratings are even more prominent. Parents in divorced households provide less emotional, monetary, and practical support to children. In addition, they exhibit a decline in linguistic stimulation, pride, affection, academic conduct, stimulation, social maturity, encouragement, and warmth toward the kids. However, you can combat these issues by understanding the best ways to support your children amid and after divorcing your partner.
Trust Issues
Children who experience parental separation are more likely to have psychological issues as adults. Children fear rejection, which prevents them from developing deep relationships. However, all isn’t lost. Parents can prevent this negative outcome. Positive parent-teen relationships, regardless of divorce, strongly enhance children’s ability to trust their parents, friends, and others.
Even though the marriage chapter of your family history is ending and you are divorcing your partner, the family aspect should continue to exist and grow as you navigate this difficult time. If you’re having challenges dealing with the divorce process, we can help you. Call us right away, and we’ll walk you through the whole process to ensure your children get the support they need.