Divorce is hard on everyone involved. What many parents don’t realize is that children are often the ones who come out of a divorce worse for the wear. The short term vs. long term effects of divorce on children are dependent on age of the child when the divorce occurs. The effects are also dependent on whether the split is amicable or full of drama. Marriage counseling in Gaithersburg, MD can help parents in the midst of divorce learn how to minimize the impact on their young children.
Children can benefit from routine during their formative years. Divorce changes routine and forces this change upon children. Not only do they witness their parents fall out of love, they must learn to deal with living at two separate locations and adjusting to life with single parents. These changes are very unfamiliar and can take children many month/years to adjust fully. Unfortunately, many children have a hard time accepting a new routine since they hold on to the thought that these changes are temporary. Adolescent children do not understand why their mothers and fathers do not live together anymore. Divorce is an abstract idea that makes coping very difficult. No matter how amicable a divorce may be, children are still molded by this life changing event.
Seeking out professional through marriage counseling or divorce coaching in our Gaithersburg office. Kentlands Psychotherapy can help parents learn how to help their children through this difficult time. Counseling can also help the couple learn to co-parent to ease the stress on their children. It is both parent’s job to reduce the overall impact of their dissolution of marriage on their children, and Kentlands Psychotherapy can help.
