Summary: Divorced Parents have it rough. In this episode of the Surviving Divorce Podcast I rehash some tips for divorced parents that were shared previously on the blog. For All Divorced Parents: Your children are hurting as much or more than you are Don't try to get them to take sides Your children still need two parents involved in their lives Try to make major parenting decisions together Be flexible with visitation schedules when possible Give your kids as much say as possible on when they see their other parent Your children will likely still have hopes of you re-uniting with your ex for years after the divorce Your children may not be supportive of you dating Your children don't want to hear you bad-mouthing their other parent Your children don't want to be used as messengers Don't over-extend yourself financially to maintain all of their pre-divorce activities and lifestyle. For Custodial Parents: Your children still love and miss the non-custodial parent Keep the non-custodial parent informed of school, sports, and church events Don't use the excuse that the child support was late for not doing things, even if that is the reason. For Non-Custodial Parents: Your children want to know you care by spending time with them Your children are hurt deeply if you don't show up when you are supposed to Don't substitute money or gifts for spending time with your children Your children want you to come to their school, sports, or church activities Your children want to hear from you regularly even if you can't be with them You have a moral and legal obligation to pay child support. Just do it. Don't expect all of your support money to be spent specifically on the kids, That's not how it works This is the first in a series of podcasts dealing with divorced parents. The podcasts in this series will probably be spread out over the next few months. If you enjoy and value the podcast, please consider leaving a favorable review in iTunes. It will help keep the podcast visible in the search results. Also comment below or leave me a voice message by clicking on the tab to the right or calling 347-433-7664 And don't forget to sign up for the free budgeting toolkit. Have a blessed week G.D.
