When you and your spouse decide that your marriage is over, you will have to share the news with the children if you have any. This can be a difficult situation for you to be placed in, but your children need to know what is going on. Ideally, you should discuss the plan with your ex and determine if both parents can be there to talk to the children together. This might help them see that while some aspects of life are changing, others will remain the same.
The discussion about what is going to happen must be done on an age-appropriate level. Remember that no children need to be subjected to the gritty details of the split. Instead, keep the information shared limited to what impacts the children. They will likely need reassurance that both parents will remain in their life and that they will still be able to do the things they enjoy.
We realize that you might not have all the answers, but you should try to give them as much information as you can. Be sure that you are only offering information that is truthful. Children often construe statements from their parents as promises, so don’t speak on anything that you don’t know is certainly going to happen.
In some cases, you and your ex can discuss the parenting plan terms before you actually split up. This might enable you to tell the kids what the new schedule and way of life will be like since you already have a plan. We can help you work out the terms of the agreement.