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Ensuring They Stay Merry and Bright
Children whose parents have gone through a divorce may struggle during the season that’s supposed to be about family gatherings. No matter how long ago the divorce may have been, the holiday season can act as a trigger for depression in children whose households are no longer unified.
Thankfully, action can be taken to ensure that their holiday season is just a bit brighter. Here are some things to consider.
Trying New Things While Refreshing Old Ideas
It might be easy for your child to wish for the old days and to engage in older traditions that you used to do as one. While the situation may look different now, that doesn’t mean that those older traditions have to disappear from your repertoire. One way to help a struggling child is to revisit some of those old traditions you used to engage in but with a fresh perspective.
Perhaps, for example, one parent used to always decorate a tree and put a star on top, but that parent is no longer in the residence. You could allow your child to put the star on top, or your child could visit the other parent and decorate a different tree.
In addition, the holiday season is a great time to try new things and create new traditions and memories. If you’ve never baked before, for example, this could be the perfect time to try a new dessert recipe and begin a tradition of making that dessert annually.
Keeping a Positive Mindset and Mouth
One of the approaches you should take during the holidays is to stay positive both in mindset and action. It might be difficult to watch your child struggle during this time, but staying positive in both how you speak with them and act around them can help some of the positivity rub off on them.
In addition to a positive mindset, keeping negative talk out of your conversation is key to helping your child during this time. For example, badmouthing your ex-spouse, while seemingly helpful for you when speaking, could have serious negative implications on your child and could cause them to start to view that person in a negative way, further impacting their mindset.
Putting Them First
Above all else, if you sense your child is struggling during the holidays, it’s the perfect time to make sure that their needs are being met and that their happiness is coming first. Though this may be difficult, your children can sense the effort you put into making their holiday dreams come true.
Take the time to revisit your priorities, and set a goal of keeping your children first throughout the entirety of the holiday season.
Holiday Difficulties Require the Attention of an Attorney
Unfortunately, the holidays can be a time where parents have a hard time seeing their children. If this is true of you, consult with a custody attorney as soon as possible to protect your parental rights. At Law Office of Mark M. Childress, our team is committed to defending your right to be a parent and to putting both your needs and the needs of your child first.
To learn more or to schedule a consultation, call us at (817) 497-8148 or visit us online.