Many parents in Orange County, California, know that each child is unique and they relate to different things differently. Divorce, for one, is a difficult, emotional process that can be stressful on the divorcing parent’s children. According to one author, a child has a dominant sense and addressing that sense can help parents help their child survive the challenges of a divorce proceeding to help them feel safe, secure and loved.
Divorcing parents should approach a visual child by showing that they are happier with their new arrangement. For instance, facial expressions can let a child know if a parent is unhappy with the divorce.
Taste and smell children may feel that the divorce is their fault. They may become clingy, so it is not ideal to exclude one parent. Nonetheless, a taste and smell child mirrors the child’s parents’ emotions; it is best that the parents show positive emotions whenever the child is around.
Auditory children analyze what they hear and they can sense their parents’ emotions. The divorcing parents should not argue about issues when the child is with them. Additionally, an auditory child remembers the things that the child’s parents say, so badmouthing a spouse is not ideal.
For tactile children, spending quality time with each parent is important. Because the child’s dominant sense is touch, it is important for both parents to be available for their child, until the child is comfortable with the limited time that a parent may now have for them.
Divorce can be painful, but letting emotions control a spouse’s decisions is not ideal. Settling child support and child custody issues are important during the divorce process. It is also important to ensure that the parents get the proper legal and emotional support.
Source: Merced Sun-Star, “Child Sense: Helping your child feel secure during divorce,” Priscilla Dunstan, Feb. 3, 2014
