Child custody presents big challenges to parenting

For Californians who choose parenthood, raising children can turn out be one of the most rewarding experiences anyone can have. It can also be incredibly challenging. Taking care of children means providing physical and emotional support as well as effective discipline and anything else they require in order to develop into good human beings. This can be even harder when parents divorce and one parent is given child custody.

The childcustody process begins before the divorce is over and first requires that both parents are clear about their rights and responsibilities in regard to their children. Many judges in California want parents to understand that children often have a hard time adjusting to parental separation, no matter how old the children are. This is why parents are usually well served to develop parenting plans that meet the best interests of their children. An effective parenting plan will help children adapt to their new lives after divorce.

Parents should understand what their roles will be as co-parents and how they can make it easier for their children to adjust. Parents must learn to communicate well with one another if they are to be effective in providing the care and support children need after divorce. Co-parents should serve as good role models to their children and refrain from bad-mouthing each other, trash talking or using the kids as weapons against one another. Children are innocent victims and should never be asked to take sides or try to understand adult issues that are beyond their experience. All of these will have negative consequences for most children.

Divorce typically causes some level of emotional stress in children. If the parents are able to act in healthy ways and remain involved in their children’s lives, then divorce will be seen by their children as just another part of life.

Source: Huffingtonpost, “The 18 Best Things You Can Do For Your Kids After Divorce,” Brittany Wong, Feb. 17, 2015