Divorce Psychologists Boston MA

Are your kids at risk?
If you believe your children will be unaffected by your divorce, you'll be surprised to learn that all children of divorce suffer emotional injuries. So the question is not whether they'll be hurt, but how badly they'll be hurt. Here's how to minimize the damage.
By Teri Morrison

When Linda and Steve (names have been changed to protect the identities of individuals quoted in this article) decided to divorce, they worried about how their eight-year-old daughter Shannon would react to the news. They quickly and amicably finalized the divorce to avoid dragging Shannon through an emotional battleground. To keep Shannon's life from having too many major upheavals at one time, they decided that she and Linda would remain in the family home while Steve moved to an apartment across town. Steve and Linda hoped that if Shannon's school routine and social connections weren't disrupted, the transition to a new family situation would be easier on her emotionally.

Eight months later, Linda is breathing a sigh of relief. Shannon seems to have adjusted well to the divorce. "Sometimes, I think Shannon is coping with our new living arrangements better than I am," says Linda. "She never causes a problem for either me or her father. In fact, she seems more helpful around the house than before the divorce -- I never have to remind her to clean her room anymore, for example, or that it's her turn with the dish...