When parents in New Jersey make the decision to divorce, it’s important to take steps to help the children adjust to a new way of life. Children can go through many difficult emotions after their parents’ divorce. The situation can be made worse when one or both parents try to alienate their children from the other. Parental alienation can damage a child and parents should take care to make sure it doesn’t happen once they go their separate ways.
Understanding parental alienation
Parental alienation happens when a parent tries to damage the child’s relationship with the other parent. This can happen through manipulation, exaggerating, or lying to the child to keep them from forming and keeping a healthy bond with the other parent. After divorce, parental alienation can cause a child to want to avoid spending time with one parent, making healthy co-parenting nearly impossible.
Parents can benefit from counseling after a divorce to help them cope with the changes and understand how to have a good co-parenting relationship with their ex-spouse. Parents should avoid placing blame on the other parent and should only share age-appropriate information with the children. Kids may benefit from speaking with a therapist to learn coping mechanisms and ways to express their feelings when dealing with such a major life change.
Deciding on custody arrangements
When parents in New Jersey divorce, they should take care to protect their children from emotional trauma by providing consistency and comfort. Children may not be able to grasp the implications of divorce, but they will understand that their lives have changed greatly. When deciding on a custody arrangement, the most important thing is to do what’s best for the children. A family law attorney can provide guidance on finding the best co-parenting plan based on individual circumstances.