When one home become two, parents rightfully worry about how it will affect their children. Children often feel torn between these two new places, but both should feel like their home. But, how do you make them both feel like home?
Emotional and physical stability
Understand that kids think that the way things are now is the way things will always be. When divorce happens, it shatters this foundational belief, and can cause children to question their core beliefs and the nature of their reality. Some children even begin to wonder if their parents can divorce them.
This is why both Cincinnati, Ohio, parents need to reintroduce a sense of stability back into their children’s lives. Remember, the physical space that is created in both homes represents your child’s emotional space.
Preparations
Both parents should work on mitigating the effects of the divorce as much as possible on the children. Try to work it out where one of the spouses can maintain a home in the same school district so that the kids can keep their same friends, even if you cannot stay in the same Cincinnati, Ohio, neighborhood.
Try to work out where the other parent will live as well and that it will be close or as close as possible too. Proximity, at least in the near term, can go a long way in making the transition much easier on the kids.
No surprises
Second, there should be no surprises. The first time that your children hear about the divorce should not be when the Cincinnati, Ohio, movers are taking their stuff out of the home. Long before moving day, both parents should have a heart-to-heart conversation with the children about what is happening.
Incorporate divorce
Make sure you incorporate the idea of divorce into your day-to-day life as well. Have play dates with families that have gone through it. Get your kids children’s books that have families with two homes and divorced families. Watch movies with happy two-home households. Normalize divorce before the divorce.
Create their own space
In the new homes, each child should have their own space. While their own bedroom is preferable, even a corner or a bookshelf can be enough. They need a physical space that they can call their own. And, it should include something from the former Cincinnati, Ohio, family home as well as a bridge from their old life to their new life.