It’s back-to-school season, and the Huffington Post is marking the occasion with an interesting piece talking with teachers about divorce and how it can negatively affect performance in the classroom.
Parents who are divorcing or who have already ended their marriages should take heart, though. While the story points out the biggest mistakes that divorced or divorcing parents make, it also says that children whose parents handle their divorce in a responsible way don’t necessarily suffer during the school year.
What is the biggest mistake that divorced parents make? According to the story, they excuse their children’s bad behavior. Experts quoted in the story say this is often the result of guilt on the part of divorcing parents, who don’t want to make their children take accountability for their own actions.
Other parents don’t do enough to put their children at ease following a divorce. Instead of doing everything they can to convince their children that everything will be okay following a divorce, they dwell on the newness of the situation. This makes children anxious and can result in dismal performances at school.
The story also recommends that parents, even if they’re angry with each other, work on communicating in a mature, respectful way. Children don’t want to see their mothers and fathers screaming at each other or insulting each other. In fact, children who see their parents fighting often feel stuck in the middle. It’s not reasonable to expect such children to put their schoolwork first.
The story points out just how important reasonable, calm and reassuring parents are to high-performing children. Divorcing parents, then, need to put the needs of their children first and do everything they can to boost the odds of a successful school year.
Stay tuned for updates from our Ft. Worth family law blog …
To learn more about divorce, child custody or child support, contact an experienced and skilled legal professional.
This post is for informational purposes only and is not to be construed as legal advice.
Source:
The Huffington Post, “Back to school 2012: Teachers reveal parents’ biggest divorce mistakes,” Natasha Burton, Aug. 14, 2012
