The holiday season can be tough for families after a divorce. In particular, the first holiday season after a divorce can be especially hard for the kids. Your children are accustomed to holiday traditions you created as a family, and a different kind of holiday season can be upsetting and unhappy. After a divorce, parents are struggling, too. They are often experiencing financial setbacks, and they are also feeling emotional about a holiday season apart. Yet it is important for parents to focus on their kids after a divorce. This is especially true around the holidays. What can you do to get through the holidays for the kids? Consider the following tips from our Charleston divorce lawyers.
Be Ready to Compromise
It can feel difficult, especially if you are still angry at your ex, but you should be ready to compromise this holiday season for your kids’ sake. Focus on putting your kids first, and know that compromising in order to avoid disputes this holiday season is probably what is best for your kids after the divorce.
Consider Ways to Keep Some Traditions Alive
Splitting with your ex and getting divorced means that you will lose some family traditions during the holidays. Yet you can help your children get through the holidays by considering ways to keep certain traditions alive. In other words, not everything has to change because of your divorce. According to a Psychology Today article, consider maintaining traditions that can help your kids feel joyful this holiday season.
Create New Family Traditions
Regardless of whether you can maintain certain family traditions, it is also important to create new family traditions for yourself and your kids. Getting through the holidays the first year after the divorce, and in the years to follow, will be much easier if you have traditions that help you to celebrate the season.
Collaborate with Your Ex If Possible
The holidays will usually be easier for your kids if you are able to collaborate with your ex. Your kids will realize that you can get along and can co-parent, and their holiday season will not be disrupted by tension between their parents.
Encourage Your Child to Find a Special Gift for the Other Parent
Your kids are probably worried that showing their love for their other parent during the holidays might upset you, especially if your divorce was contentious. You can make the holidays much easier for your kids by encouraging them to find a special gift to give the other parent this holiday season. By doing this, you will show your child that their relationship with the other parent (your ex) is important, and that you want them to have a strong relationship with the other parent even though your relationship with that parent has ended.
Contact a Charleston Divorce Lawyer for Advice
Deciding how to get through the holidays after divorce will vary from family to family. It is important to consider your child’s needs and to think about what can make the holiday season easiest for your family. Our Charleston divorce attorneys can provide you with advice about divorce and child custody, and we can explain how South Carolina laws will apply to your case. Contact The Peck Law Firm online or call us at 843-631-7117 to talk with a lawyer about your case.
Recommendations For Additional Reading
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Is My Marriage Good Enough?
4 Ways to Reduce the Cost of Your Divorce