Divorce is a difficult topic for adults, let alone children. Since kids lack the ability to properly understand the situation or see what their lives may be like once their parents separate, dealing with divorce can be stressful. As a divorcing parent, it can be seemingly impossible to find the right words to explain what divorce is.
If you are interested in preparing your children for divorce, it could be a great idea to expose them to books that are written at their comprehension level. With the help of these books on divorce, you will have a reference tool for explaining the dissolution of your marriage.
Two Homes is a great way to show your children that they will be loved, regardless of how the family ends up. By taking a gentle approach to the sensitive topic of divorce, this book offers consistent reassurance, which proves that more things can be gained than lost when parents go through a divorce.
2) Divorce Is Not the End of the World: Zoe’s and Evan’s Coping Guide for Kidsby Zoe Stern and Evan Stern
Helping your children find the right amount of support during a divorce is essential. Zoe and Evan Stern wrote this book when they were just 15 and 13, respectively. The two siblings were going through the divorce of their parents, and they decided that it would be beneficial to share their experience. Therefore, they created a practical guide for kids, which helped them focus on the positive aspects of their lives, rather than the negative.
In this book, your children will be able to learn more about anger, fear, guilt, the adjustment to different houses, and even tactics for dealing with holidays and special occasions. It is a great way to prepare your children for what may occur after their parents separate.
3) It’s Not Your Fault, Koko Bear: A Read-Together Book for Parents and Young Children During Divorce by Vicky Lansky
It’s Not Your Fault, Koko Bear is intended to initiate discussion between children and parents. By setting up a time each night to go through each part of this book, it helps create an open discussion. Therefore, children can confront their concerns about their divorcing parents. It also gives parents the ability to explain the situation in detail—with sensitive illustrations and easy-to-understand text.
You will find that It’s Not Your Fault, Koko Bear is the perfect way to show your children that both parents intend to stay active and involved in their lives, and that divorce is not their fault. It is also useful for teaching them how family life will change.
Written in 1988, Dinosaurs Divorce has been the go-to tool for changing families for over 25 years. The book is designed to talk about the most difficult moments, the meaning of divorce, the reasons why parents seek divorce, and ways to cope after a divorce. The best part is that it is illustrated with bright, eye-catching colors to keep children entertained yet informed about their situation.
Other topics that are discussed in Dinosaurs Divorce include living with one parent, meeting parents’ new friends, telling your friends, and having stepsiblings.
5) Standing on My Own Two Feet: A Child’s Affirmation of Love in the Midst of Divorce by Tamara Schmitz
The main premise of Standing on My Own Two Feet is the assurance that regardless of how messy a divorce can be, your children will always be the most loved people in the whole world.
With stunning illustrations, this book is filled with pictures and positive affirmations that divorce is not the end of the parent-child relationship. With gentle, uplifting explanations of what divorce is and what it means, you will be able to teach your children that having two separate homes can be just as great as having one.
Regardless of how you view divorce, it can be an incredibly difficult topic for children. You might even find that as the process goes on, your children may seem more and more withdrawn from you and your spouse. Your child can turn to I Don’t Want to Talk About It as a guide when they simply do not want to talk to you.
The novel includes a young girl, who is currently dealing with her parents’ divorce. Instead of talking about it, all she wants to do is scream in their faces. This novel is a great way to encourage your children to healthfully explore their negative emotions.
In the majority of divorces, arguing comes with the territory, but it can be one of the most difficult things for children to deal with. Written and illustrated for children of various ages, the book goes through the process of dealing with arguing parents.
When My Parents Forgot How to Be Friends discusses how children cannot be responsible for their parents’ divorce. It goes in-depth to explain how it is the sole decision of the parents, including the different reasons for potentially getting a divorce.
8) How Do I Tell the Kids About the Divorce?: A Create-a-Storybook Guide to Preparing Your Children – With Love by Rosalind Sedacca
If you have been dealing with the difficulty of working with your children to help them understand divorce, this all-inclusive guide will help make the process easier. How Do I Tell the Kids About the Divorce? is a unique book, as it can be used by both parents and children.
With instructions on how to prepare your children for dealing with an upcoming emotional event, it can make breaking the news much simpler. Also, the guide is a constructive way to illustrate the idea of divorce to children, so that they will be able to clearly understand it. Mediators, divorce coaches, therapists, attorneys, and other professionals around the world have endorsed this method of talking about divorce.
Written by Pat Thomas, a psychotherapist and counselor, My Family’s Changing is a unique tool that you can use to help your children understand the gravity of divorce.
It addresses all questions and concerns that children may have when it comes to dealing with their parents splitting up, as well as a section for FAQs intended to help your children understand their emotions.
It is a useful guide for assisting kids to understand and explore their own feelings about divorce without getting distracted at the thought of losing a parent.
As the author of Mom’s House, Dad’s House, Isolina Ricci is one of the top authors that delve into the deep details of divorce. With this books, you will be able to maneuver through the logistical, legal, and emotional realities about divorce in a language that your children can understand.
Aside from the practicalities in the book, your children will also be able to explore their own feelings, develop coping mechanisms for going through a difficult time, and learn to become more resilient as time goes on. With positive encouragement, your children can believe in themselves, plan for their lives ahead, and have a clearer understanding of what divorce means for them and your family.
Assisting your child with understanding the concepts of divorce is essential for parents around the world, as it is known that children have tended to suffer from a separation more than anyone else involved. With the help of these wonderfully written books, parents have the ability to help their children navigate through their concerns.
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