Connecticut Divorce Lawyer
posted in Divorce
on Tuesday, January 24, 2012.
Marriages in Connecticut do not always last. Over time, disagreements can become full-blown arguments, while differences between spouses that used to be cute can become insurmountable. Dissolving the marriage may seem to be the right choice for two spouses in such a situation, but when those two individuals are also parents, the children may not agree.
Because of this, a divorce in Connecticut can come with something that other states do not have: a parent education program. Parents who choose divorce with a child under the age of 18 must attend an education program. These programs are designed to ensure that parents understand that their children will likely have trouble coping with the separation.
Parents often do not comprehend the emotional distress that children of a divorce may experience. Some adults make excuses for changes in the behavior of a child and attempt to minimize the issue. But communication is quintessential in this situation and is necessary if parents want their child to have his or her fears assuaged.
The education program is offered in two three-hour sessions or one six-hour session. While attending, parents can expect communication with children to be a key topic. Ideas of how to communicate are often shared, and some should be ready to respond to hypothetical situations. By responding to such situations, parents can learn how to react to certain fears a child may have.
In one of the hypothetical situations, a young daughter is worried that her father will starve to death once he moves out of the house because she has never seen him cook. A good way to alleviate the daughter’s worries is to have the father cook with her or order food to show that he will survive after leaving.
And both parents showing that they are in tune with a child’s needs can only help them as they negotiate child custody.
Source: Wilton Bulletin, “Parent education program helps children during divorce,” Jan. 9, 2012
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