Explaining To Your Child

[William]

How do you explain to your child about the situation? Do you have to wait for the child to be old enough or tell them as plain as possible if your child is still young?

 

[KSmith]

If you're getting a divorce and your child is young, you need to explain it to them as well as possible. You don't have the luxury of waiting until they are older. Whatever age your child is, think about what they are able to understand at that age and gear your explanation to that level of understanding.

 

[greatdad]

That's good advice, KSmith. A two-year-old won't understand much more than mommie and daddy aren't living together any more. A four-year-old will understand a bit more and the older a child is, the more they will be able to understand. Gearing your explanation to their level of understanding is one of the keys to helping them through it.

 

[Jaxon]

One very important thing to keep in mind is for both parents to make sure the child understands that it's not their fault. I can't stress this enough.

 

[spencer]

In the case that the child is so young to understand anything, you can still mention the fact that daddy and mommie are apart. As they grow up, the children will still be able to better grasp what you meant.

I remember certain things I was told at a very young age. Though they did not seem to add up then, I can see what all that meant.

How you tell this to your child really matters.

 

[benben]

You have to tell them something at a certain age and up. Kids are pretty smart and start to figure things out. Of course if no one explains it to them who knows what might be going through their mind.

 

[Tyler]

Children pick up on more than even us as parents understand. My child will have full conversations that we had last summer about something or someone and I didn't even think he was even fully paying attention! They will understand just don't belittle the other parent and your children will see the respect in that.