Most married couples find parenting to be a challenging and difficult task. Divorced parents find it even more challenging and difficult.
"Kids of divorce can feel they've been hit the hardest by the end of their parents' relationship," WebMD explains. Child-Centered Divorce and WebMD shared some of the most common parenting mistakes of divorced parents. Being aware of these parenting mistakes can help divorced parents develop their parenting styles for the benefit of their children.
1. Making a child a mediator between the parents.
"Too many parents attempt to communicate through their children," family and divorce expert M. Gary Neuman tells WebMD, "which causes undue emotional stress on them and forces them to negotiate a situation their own parents could not handle." Rather than using your child as a mediator, communicate with your ex-spouse through email or online chatting instead.
2. Treating a child as a personal therapist.
Some divorced parents treat their kids as their personal therapists. They share with their kids the nasty details of their divorce and their hateful thoughts toward each other which can cause further emotional and psychological burden for the children.
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3. Fighting around the children.
Kids of divorced parents are in an emotional turmoil because of the separation of their parents. Fighting in front of them or allowing them to listen to your fights post-divorce will only worsen their emotional problems.
4. Failure to reassure your children.
Divorced parents need to remind their kids on a regular basis that they have no fault in their parents' separation. "Kids tend to blame themselves for your problems unless you tell them differently," Child-Centered Divorce explains.
5. Hindering the relationship of your children with your ex-spouse.
This is one of the biggest parenting mistakes of divorced parents. Being a hindrance to a loving relationship between your child and your ex-spouse is selfish and irresponsible. You should place the child's feelings and needs ahead of your own and admit that you cannot give all of the things that your child needs and wants.
