As a parent who is considering divorce, you may be concerned about what it’s going to mean for your children. You love them more than anything and you want to give them the best possible future. You’ve heard many people say that you should stay together — even if you’re unhappy in your marriage — so that they have that type of home environment.
But the truth is that staying together for the kids can actually be a very big mistake that has a detrimental impact on your children’s development and on their future. It’s important to consider this as you decide what to do.
Is there a lot of stress in your relationship?
What’s important is to simply think of the type of home environment that your relationship is creating. It is often assumed that having two parents stay married is better because both parents are automatically involved with the children. And it is good for both parents to stay involved as much as they can, as this can help the children with academics, relationships, social development and much more.
But two parents can be involved with their kids even when they are not married, and it’s been found that children who live in high-stress homes do not benefit from having their parents stay together. So, if there’s a lot of stress in your relationship with your spouse because you want to get divorced, it may actually be better for the kids if you split up and then stay involved as co-parents.
Through every step in the divorce process, make sure you know what legal options you have to put your kids first.