Children Can Behave in Many Different Ways During a Divorce

Video Transcribed:  How does divorce manifest itself in children’s behavior? I’m the Tulsa father’s rights lawyer and this is a video on child behavior during divorce.

Denial. This is especially common in younger children and can include fantasies and idealizations of reconciliation and often can manifest in behaviors that include trying to rekindle the relations of the parents.

Abandonment. Children may have fears that one or both parents will abandon them. Children need to do to understand that both parents are still going to take care of them.

Abandonment can be felt worse if one or more parent is talking poorly about the other. Children need to know that they have permission to have a relationship with both parents.

Preoccupation with information. Children will become very interested in all aspects of the divorce and will want as much information as you will possibly give them.

Anger. Children tend to show anger in other relationships and this can manifest itself in poor school performance, loss of friends, or difficulty getting along with siblings.

Depression, lethargy, social withdrawal. The depressive state can also have physical reactions as patterns change in sleep and eating.

Immaturity or hyper-maturity. Children can advance quickly to try to compensate, or they can go back and start behaving like they’re younger.

Preoccupation with reconciliation. And the longer the two parties fight, oftentimes the longer the children hold on to this concept of reconciliation and their parents getting back together.

Blame or guilt. This is actually made worse if parents are fighting over custody, but children will tend to blame themselves for marital conflicts or potentially unfairly, one of the parents based on communications from one of the parents.

Acting out. In an attempt to survive the divorce, children will often act out both their own emotions, as well as the emotions of their parents.

Again, I’m. I’m the Tulsa father’s rights lawyer. That was a video on how children behave during divorce. I hope it was helpful. If you’ve got any questions, give us a call.