Child custody battles often spill over into every area of the child’s life. As a parent, you might want to protect them as much as you can from the drama. They’ll likely still know that things are amiss, so you’ll have to work closely with them to help them adjust to the new way of life.
There are many things that your children might need during this time. It’s imperative that you let them know that they can talk to you about anything and that you’ll help them in every manner possible throughout the transition. Try to be open with your feelings about the situations they need to know about. This can help them to understand that it is perfectly normal to experience a range of emotions.
If you can, try to keep the disruptions to your child’s routine to a minimum. Children thrive on consistency, so being able to keep the same schedule can help them to make the adjustments in the other areas of their life. Some children might kick against this, but it’s still imperative that you provide them with consistency.
You may need to enlist the help of other trusted adults. They can help you to watch your children and see how they’re handling things when you’re not around. Plus, it gives the children another person to talk to if they’re struggling or need help with anything.
One of the most important things that you need to do during this time is to get the parenting plan set as quickly as possible. Don’t rush so much that you don’t do what’s best for the children but try to work things out so that you can have the terms that the children will need to live with. Your attorney can help you with this.