Helping Tweens and Teens Through Separation and Divorce

Welcome back to the second part of our series on divorce.  Our first post focused on helping young children cope with separation and divorce, while today's post will focus on tweens and teens.  No matter a child's age, they are impacted by their parents' divorce.

I recently sat down to complete a video podcast with Annie Fox of Family Confidential to discuss ways parents can help tweens and teens cope with the life changing transition of divorce.

Listen in, and be sure to poke around on Annie's site for great information on other topics.

(PS...At the 3:57 mark, I talk about "...parent first, deal with your own feelings second," which is quite a difficult task to undertake and contrary to the notion, "put on your own oxygen mask, first," with which I 100% agree.  It's not an oxymoron. An oxygen mask takes mere seconds to put on. Dealing with our emotional strife takes much, much longer.  It is absolutely essential we do not emotionally abandon kids during times of difficulty, such as divorce or grief.  We must, as parents, find a way to tend to our own emotional needs, while simultaneously providing the same to our children.  That poses challenges for parents who are hurting emotionally themselves. In such situations, identifying support people who can assist your child is imperative.  Start with your school counselor, or ask for a referral for a therapist from your family doctor.)

See the interviews of my friends and colleagues: 

Dr. Lynne Kenney on Bloom Method: Helping Children Blossom

Louse Masin Sattler on Accommodating Classrooms

Dr. Beth Onufrak on kids and emotional meltdowns

Sue Atkins on not being your kids' friend

Deborah McNelis on play and brain development

Dr. Kimberly Palmiotto on kids and learning differences

There are so many great things to learn on the Family Confidential site!