How to Cope with Your Parents' Divorce
Everyone benefits from positive coping strategies when dealing with divorce – learn how.
Up next in How to Improve Family Relationships (34 videos)
Divorce, in-laws, difficult teens -- learn how to handle tricky family dynamics with the advice in this Howcast video series.
You Will Need
- A telephone
- An e-mail account
- Activities
Steps
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Step 1
Stay in touch with both parents
Stay in regular contact with both parents. Call, send text messages, or e-mail to ease feelings of missing each other.
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Step 2
Develop a plan for special events
Develop an attendance plan for special events like games, meets, recitals, and concerts. If it isn’t comfortable to have them both there, alternate their attendance.
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Step 3
Talk to people you can trust
Talk to people you can trust to sort out your feelings about the divorce.
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Seek out a movie about a divorcing family. Watching a movie with characters you can relate to will help you work through your own feelings.
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Step 4
Talk to your parents about your feelings
Talk to your parents about any concerns, such as money, activities, or visitations.
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Step 5
Participate in activities
Continue to participate in as many day-to-day activities as possible. Extracurricular events will help you stay focused on your own priorities.
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Often teens find that relationships with parents improve after a divorce because each parent is happier.
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Step 6
Draw support from family
Stay close to, and draw support from, your siblings or other relatives. Stronger bonds may form among family members when parents separate.
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Did you know? According to the 2003 National Vital Statistics Report, over half of all American marriages end in divorce.
