What should I say to my children about the divorce?

In Collaborative Divorce, parents are often encouraged to agree on what to tell the children. Commonly, parents may say that they need to shift from marriage to friendship.

For some youth, this change may trigger fears that parental love will also change. For this reason, it is helpful to reassure children that love from their parents is full and forever.

Parents, trying to ease their children’s pain and loss, may wait too long to share about a coming divorce. Or they may suggest “We are still a family.” This is a false assurance that can confuse children.

In Collaborative Divorce, a child specialist may recommend saying something more realistic but still reassuring, such as, “We are becoming two smaller families with a bridge between us.”