In my practice I often work with parents experiencing divorce, or a change in custody and possession schedules. It bears repeating……..  research shows us that children, whose parents maintain positive and healthy communication, fare far better than those from homes where there is bad mouthing, negative comments, conflict and discord among parents as they move on into separate lives. As a professional I believe it is also important to protect younger children as much as possible from the “adult” issues, such as a parent with substance abuse or criminal problems.   Sometimes we want to be honest with children, not realizing that  adult matters can cause anxiety and worry for younger children. As they grow and mature we can provide them age appropriate information that they can handle with support and help. It is also important to help them understand and validate that they don’t have to solve their parents problems or be a middle person between them. This is especially true when children begin to worry a parent who may be having great difficulty or missing from their life due to legal or substance abuse issues.

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Be Well and Take Care,

Laura