Having fun with your children after a separation or divorce, doesn’t have to be grand or lavish. For children who do not have an idea what money is, time and attention are the currency you spend for their love. The type of activities that will be appreciated by children depends on their age. A good tickle or hide and seek will no longer work for teens while deep conversation will not be appreciated by toddlers.
No matter what your child’s age is, the only thing they will remember later on in their life is how you spend time with them. To create positive and good memories with your children, take a look at these suggested activities:
Take cues from their source of interest.
You will find it frustrating if your child is not excited with the latest gadget that you gave as a present. In the same manner, you will probably get hurt if your child immediately got bored or tired after a few minutes at the zoo.
In other words, determine what your child’s interests or hobbies are and take it from there. Remember that the time you spend with your child is not about you. You can take cues from your children’s interest and surprise them with it or you can directly ask them how they would like to spend the next weekend with you.
Start conversations.
After the divorce or separation, parents should maintain the lines of communication with their children. The parents should also make it a point to reiterate that their children can contact them whenever they want to or if there is a concern that they want to share.
Children have so many questions about the divorce, and they worry about being left behind after the separation. If children can talk to their parents about their fears and worries, it would be easier for them to adapt to the new situation and the changes brought about by the divorce.
Parents should understand though that children do not always know how to express their feelings or put their thoughts into words. You can initiate a good conversation during walks, while in the car, at bedtime or during dinner. Encourage your children to share their thoughts and how they are currently feeling.
Communicate in various forms.
Divorce can become more challenging for the children when one parent moves to a considerable distance. Aside from the distance, getting into a divorce also means the children will no longer be with one of their parents at all times.
To maintain a close relationship with the children, make it a point to send emails as it is fast and convenient for both the parent and children. You can also start a group chat with every member of the family as its members. You can use the group chat to exchange photos, send videos or just update everybody with their regular going-on.
Seeing and communicating with each other not only strengthens the bond between members of the family, it also eases away the loneliness of being far from one of the parents and the parents to their children.
Go and enjoy the outdoors.
Children will not so much remember about the expensive gifts that parents give but the wonderful moments they spent with their parents. One way to create memories is to spend time outdoors such as going camping, riding bikes, swimming, flying kites, picnics at the park or even simply walking at the park or in the neighbourhood.
Outdoor activities boost energy and will also strengthen the bond between you and your children. Exercising also releases happy hormones or feel-good energy.
Create two comfortable homes.
Children will feel less lonely and homesick if you will create spaces that are similar to what they used to have in your old family home. It would be best to talk with your former spouse about this so for him or her to create a homey place for the kid in the other party’s house.
It might help to place familiar items, such as or the child’s favourite stuffed toys, personal things, such as books, photos of family members and basic school supplies and other things that will make the child feel at home, whether in your place or at the other party’s house.
Additional Ideas
Divorce is a challenging phase for both the parents and children with all the adjustments and changes going on. Everyone in the family must adapt to these changes, but it is specifically the parents’ role to make these adjustments bearable for the children. Aside from financial support, parents have the obligation to provide love and care to their children for the latter’s mental stability and general well-being after the divorce.
