Over thousands of children have to go through parental separation every year. Their world turns upside down when their beloved parents decide to live apart. The consequences of separation are clearly observable and tensing.
How Is A Child Affected By Separation?
The child custody determination process is among the most complex processes undergone by divorcing parents. Determining where the child will live is a heart-wrenching decision. A good law firm like Dentons can help you with this. Apart from what was wrong in the relationship of parents, both parents play an important part in the life of the child. The child may get affected by emotional and behavioral problems. Insecurities, bedwetting, clinginess, nightmares, anxiety, and disobedience are the major problems that arise due to emotional damage. The child may need to suffer from parental alienation also. Well, how a child might feel with only one parent is discussed as follows:
- It develops a sense of loss. The child may feel he/she is losing a home, family, or loved ones.
- It may develop anger for either one or both parents for being the reason for separation.
- The child may start to feel different, rejected, and insecure.
- Separation may develop a fear in him/her of being alone, like if one parent is leaving, so the other will also do the same.
Equal Shared Parenting
Moving to family court is the best option to sort out the cases related to child support, custody, and visitation. The child living in shared care arrangements enjoys higher living standards. Equal shared parenting, also called 50/50 custody, is referred to as a co-parenting arrangement in which both parents can spend equal time and make major decisions for the child’s welfare. There are various plus points of equal shared parenting, including the low risk of poverty as the child lives across two households. The responsibilities of parents involve making long-term decisions unanimously. As per the expert’s suggestions, shared parenting is effective and best for the child in all situations.
Equal shared parenting allows both parents to cultivate their relationship with the child. It makes the child emotionally, psychologically, and physically stronger. Both parents are required to make an authentic effort to discuss with each other and ultimately come to a consensus. The advantages of equal shared parenting for children are listed as follows:
- Higher self-esteem.
- Enrich life’s experience.
- Raise in performance.
- Support, motivation, and encouragement.
How to Keep the Child Away From Traumas?
Parents who are separated should focus on the welfare of the child. It becomes necessary for the parents to reassure them that they will always be loved and cared for by both of the parents. Below we have listed the way with which parents can help their child on personal aspects:
- Ensure that the child has both parents to pamper him/her, and they will continue doing so.
- Protect the child from surplus adult worries, tensions, and responsibilities for which he/she should not be accountable at all.
- Make them clear that what is going on is the responsibility of parents, not of the child.
Conclusion
The end of the parental relationship is traumatic for the mental state of the child. It blames the weaknesses of the child, making them insecure and rejected. Equal shared parenting is proven effective for the wellbeing, development, education, privacy, and safety of the children.