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How will a divorce affect my teenage children?

On Behalf of | Aug 24, 2020 | Divorce

Many of those who file for divorce have dependent children at the time. Having children can mean that you have greater responsibilities, and this can lead to disharmony or disagreement in your marriage. Children are affected by divorce differently. While the divorce experience is rarely a positive one for the children involved, the way that the parents handle the process can have a huge impact on how children are affected.

Teenagers, in particular, can be extremely sensitive to changes that happen in the family. If you are concerned about divorcing with teenagers, you may contemplate waiting for a few years until they are better adjusted to handling it. However, this may mean that your children will live in an unhappy and toxic household, which will also have a negative impact on them. The following is an overview of the ways in which divorce can affect teenagers so that you can make your own decision.

Dealing with a new reality

Teenagers may have a lot to adjust to after a divorce takes place. It may mean that they have to spend the weekends in a different place and that they’re not able to see their friends as often as they’d like.

Blaming themselves or others

Teenagers are mature enough to understand the possible causes of a divorce. Therefore, they may start to worry that their own poor behavior created tensions in the household, and that this led to a breakdown in the marriage. Alternatively, they may hold resentment toward one parent because they believe that parent caused the breakdown of the marriage.

Loss of concentration

It’s relatively common for teens to lack concentration at school and for their studies to suffer as a result of a divorce.

If you want to go through a divorce as a parent of teenagers, it’s important that you maintain a strong and communicative relationship through the entire process. This will help you to minimize any potential negative effects.

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Attorney Harvey S Lutins