Helping Your Child Deal with Anger Issues during the Divorce Process

 Posted on June 24, 2015 in Family Law

E. Mavis Hetherington, acclaimed James M. Page Professor of Psychology of the University of Virginia’s psychology department and the Center for Children, Families and Law, revered esteemed pioneer in the field of understanding how divorce affects a child’s psyche and future was once quoted as to correlating as to how “marriage has become a more optional, less permanent institution in contemporary America”, also believed that children and adolescents met challenging changes and stress often associated with their parent’s marital transitions.

Hetherington, supported by intense research, theorized that children from divorced families experienced a higher rate of dysfunction in academic, behavioral and psychological behaviors, more so than those children living in a copacetic family nucleus. Often a by-product of these challenging changes, parents in the process of divorce may find themselves dealing with a child’s anger over this life-changing decision. So what is a parent to do?

As per education.com, an online resource dealing with parents, families and divorce issues, the following suggestions may prove a sound starting point to help a child facing the uncertainties of his or her parent’s divorce and to decrease the instances of angry outbursts:

• Listen, listen, and then listen some more;
• Teach a child to vocalize his or her anger in an acceptable manner;
• Rely on physical activities, such as art projects or other physical-based activities, to release tension; and
• Keep the lines of communication open with the the other parent in order to address the child's immediate needs with mutual support and love.

Although many parents often fail to acknowledge the root of challenging behavior during the divorce process, many tend to enforce unrealistic punishments, often internalize the child’s anger as a personal attack, or feel that their decision to petition for divorce was the wrong course of action. These types of actions and reactions will not be conducive or productive when helping the child deal with his or her feelings of loss.

If you reside in Illinois and your family is facing the challenges of divorce, the organization, Rainbows has been assisting Illinois children face various types of loss for the past 32 years. Rainbows offers a proven curriculum for children from all economic, racial, ethnic, and religions backgrounds at no cost to the parent.

If you are currently residing in Chicago or outlying western suburbs and have decided that divorce may be the best possible solution for your family, the experienced Hinsdale divorce attorneys of Martoccio & Martoccio would like to hear from you. Contact our skilled legal team at 630-920-8855 to schedule your free consultation today.