Family

Divorce for children can be considered one of the highest stressors children face in our world today. In order to help children learn and retain information, we need to help them learn to de-stress. While teachers in schools have been learning much about brain based learning, the flow hasn’t always come across to church leaders and teachers. We are learning that when children are experiencing fear or feeling anxious, they are not in the right frame of mind to learn. In the article entitled “Create a Safe Climate for Learning” Tip #1 on Six Tips for Brain-Based Learning (Edutopia.org), they ...

"Helping Children Build Stepfamilies That Work" from Kidshealth.org will help children dealing with step and blended families.  It covers issues like getting used to stepparents, what to do if you can't get along with your new stepparent and how to make a healthy transition into a step family. The article offers a realistic picture of what a child might be going through: Suddenly having a new adult in your life and your home can be really tough. You'll probably have lots of questions, like what you should call your stepdad or stepmom. (Some families use the person's first name.) You ...

Rosalind Sedacca shares seven keys to making your co-parenting relationship work for your kids following a divorce. Although you can't eliminate the impact of divorce on your kids, working together and following some basic rules can make post-divorce life easier on your kids. Rosalind explains, As a divorce and parenting coach, I’ve found that children of divorce do best when both of their parents continue to be actively involved in their lives. It’s the ongoing connection that makes the positive difference for these children, minimizing the fact that their parents no longer live together. That’s why co-parenting is so universally ...

One of the tragedies of divorce for children is the feeling of helplessness. Many adults who experienced their parents' divorce report that, as children, they felt powerless and vulnerable. For the children, it seems as though everything is out of control. Changing routines, people moving out, and things and belongings disappearing are just a few of the changes these children experience. There is no preparation for many children. So often the adults in a child's life don't talk about or explain what is taking place. The children are left to their own imaginations. Children react differently. For some children the ...

From MU Extension at the University of Missouri-Columbia, the purpose of "Helping Children Understand Divorce" is to provide parents and other adults with guidance on how to help children understand their parents’ divorce.  It includes information on how to tell children about divorce and how to talk with children about divorce.  From the child’s perspective, this resource includes a list of six things that kids need from mom and dad in the face of a divorce.  It also includes suggestion on specific books you can use to help kids understand divorce along with a brief description of each book. All ...

We all know divorce can be devastating on many levels. But sometimes we forget its emotional toll. In addition to the physical and financial stress on both partners, divorce can also wreak havoc on one’s self-esteem. Even those who initiate the divorce process can experience tremendous emotional turmoil resulting in guilt, anxiety and insecurity. Those who were not expecting or in any way desiring the break-up can come away feeling psychologically battered, confused and questioning their own worth. It’s hard to tackle these burdens alone. A support group, private coach, professional counselor or other similar resources will be very valuable ...

One kindergartner says to a second kindergartner, “Hey Taylor, your grandma’s going to be here in a minute to pick you up.” Second kindergartner, “How do you know it’s my grandma? Maybe it’s my mom!” First kindergartner, “Nope! You live with your grandma, and besides I saw her fuzzy head in the car window. Grandma’s have fuzzy heads so I know it’s her.” Maybe the grandmas in our adult world don’t have fuzzy heads. However you view grandmas though, our society is experiencing a growing phenomenon – more and more grandparents are parenting the second generation of children. Often this ...

LINK http://www.divorceandchildren.com/ ABOUT THE SITE Divorce and Children: Advice for Parents on Putting Children First is the homepage of Christina McGhee.  Christina is a divorce coach and parent educator.  The focus of her work is on “helping children and families successfully manage the challenges of divorce.”  The focus of much of what Christina does is to help children and families to use the difficult events and circumstances they find themselves in as a result of divorce as a catalyst for positive change. AVAILABLE RESOURCES Divorce and Children is packed full of useful information for divorced and divorcing who desire to ...

From KidsHealth.org, "An Explanation of Divorce for Kids" is a guide to divorce written specifically for kids. It starts with a simple explanation of what divorce is: A divorce happens after a husband and wife decide not to live together anymore and that they no longer want to be married to each other. They agree to sign legal papers that make them each single again and allow them to marry other people if they want to. From there, the article explains that "Divorce Is Tough For Everyone," and includes the important reminders that "Kids Don't Cause Divorce" and "Kids Can't ...

“‘I hate Divorce,’ says the Lord God of Israel” For some church leaders and children’s workers, it may be hard to truly understand what happens with a child of divorce inside their heads, within their hearts and under their skin. Plainly stated, children lose their family. They lose a mom and dad living together as a unit. While this may seem like it is a simple statement, it has monumental outcomes when it comes to living the life of a child. Family is where you are supposed to feel safe, carefree and loved. It is where you learn to navigate ...

On the issue of why divorce threatens a child's sense of being, Andrew Root writes in his book, The Children of Divorce: The Loss of Family as a Loss of Being: It is my belief that our humanity (and very being) is upheld in community. for each one of us, the most significant and core of these communities is the one mad up of a biological mother and father. Witout their community, their would be no child. So when that community is destroyed, it is a threat to the child's being. Divorce, therefore, should be seen as OT just the ...

In "On the Importance of Parents Getting Along After A Divorce" from the Huffington Post, Shanon Bradley-Colleary shares an important first hand account on the importance of her parents getting along after their divorce.  So many times, children of divorce are left reeling and wondering why they even exist in the face of their parents divorce.  Ms. Bradley-Colleary’s experience was what you might call a success story: Sitting at a table listening to my parent's talk about these escapades -- with my stepmom laughing along -- made me feel like I am something more than a beloved mistake. They had ...