Helping your child understand their feelings
Your child is likely to go through a wide range of different feelings. It could be any mix of anger, sadness, worry, confusion and embarrassment. Children often find it hard to talk about their feelings, but you will be able to support them through it.
Help and understand
- Be patient – your child might start behaving badly.
- Let them show their anger or sadness – even when it’s hard to hear.
- Don’t be afraid to answer questions as truthfully as you can.
- The more you talk together, the more secure your child will feel.
- Talking together will help children cope with the changes.
- Make allowances for changes in your child’s behaviour.
- Keep your boundaries clear.
- Keep your own feelings about your separation away from the children.
- Try to help your child keep important family relationships going.
- Grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins can help your child feel safe, loved and secure.
Where can I go next?
-
The Parent Connection - helping children cope with separationTips and advice from the Parent Connection to help your children cope with separation.
-
Centre for separated families - how will my children feel?Some examples, by age group, of how your children might feel from The Centre for Separated Families, a national charity that works with everyone affected by family separation in order to bring about better outcomes for children.
-
National Family Mediation - supporting children through separationInformation to help you talk to your children about the separation, from National Family Mediation (NFM).