Effects of Divorce on Children (By Age)

👼🏻 Infancy (1-3 years old)

They know that one of the parents has left the house, but they do not understand why.
Attitudes of children between these ages towards divorce:

• When they look at the first, they cry more and more often;
• sleep problems;
• Wetting the floor and continuing thumb-sucking;
• Fear and anxiety when separated from parents;
• nervous tension;
• Biting and irritating movements. 
• What can parents do in the meantime?
• They should continue to live as before without disrupting daily life.
• They should not look worried every minute and raise the child in a confident family.
• Even if the parents are separated, they should spend time with the child.

What are the psychological effects of divorce on children?

👧🏻 Kindergarten (3-6 years old)

The meaning of divorce doesn't fully understand They realize that one of their parents is not as close to them as they used to be.
Effects of divorce on children of this age can result in :

• They blame themselves for everything;
• Nervous tension increases;
• They are angry and mischievous with whichever parent they live with;
• They may have sleep problems and nightmares at night. 

What can parents do in the meantime?

• Convince the estranged parent that she can see her whenever she wants and see it in time, and talk to the child with that parent;
• Meeting with the child, mother and father at different times, in different places (cinema, theatre, park). Encourage the child to talk and communicate during the time spent together;
• Using the times when the child can express his thoughts freely (playing in the garden, using colored paints and free drawing at home, reading together);
• Make her understand that the divorce is not her fault, that her alimony will always be paid on time and that you will never leave her alone.

 👦🏻👱🏻‍♀️ The effect of divorce on school children (6-11 years old)

He begins to understand what divorce is. He knows that his mother and father will no longer live together and will no longer love each other as before.

Attitudes of children between these ages towards divorce:

• They feel cheated;
• They hope that their parents who have left home will return;
• They think their separated parents don't want them anymore;
• He ignores himself when he meets his friends;
• They think that no one will come to pick them up from school;
• May complain of headache and abdominal pain;
• Has sleep problems, sleep time is disturbed;
• He blames his mother or father, whom he knows and lives with, as the reason for the divorce;

What can parents do in the meantime?

• Plan to spend time together and run separate programs outside the home with mom or dad (like going to the zoo, park);
• Having a good time with the child;
• Instead of keeping the child with the grandmother, parents should take care to separate “face-to-face communication”;
• Ensuring the child is active outside the home (such as tennis, basketball, swimming). While sweating relaxes the physical life, on the other hand, it creates an environment where the person can express his feelings and thoughts (music, painting, etc.);
• Answering all questions about what happened and keeping the “communication channel” open;
• Paying attention to possible depression and anxiety. Get help from a psychologist:
• Continue daily life as usual:— Encourage her to share with you how she feels:

Father and mother! To minimize the impact of divorce on children, you should do all this without feeling any anxiety or tension on your face.