If your spouse asks for a divorce, you may find yourself looking for the positives. It’s all too easy to dwell on the negatives. However, you know that you can’t stop the divorce from happening, so you need to see how it could actually be a benefit for you and your children.
With that mindset, one thing to consider is that both parents may end up spending more one-on-one time with their children after a divorce. Prior to the divorce, in a strained marriage, it is common for one parent to become less involved in their kids’ lives — often not by choice. After a divorce, once custody rights have been assigned, that parent may actually take on a larger role. While you will have times without your kids when they’re with your ex, the individual time that you both spend with them becomes more valuable.
Every relationship is unique, but this is often especially good for children and their fathers. Mothers already tend to be more involved while the couple is married, but fathers may step up more after divorce.
“Some co-parents report that divorce and co-parenting result in a greater degree of involvement and hands-on parenting by fathers,” one expert notes.
How you use that one-on-one time is up to you, but it gives you a chance to really connect with the kids. You take care of them, you get involved in their lives and you get to know them in a deeper and more meaningful way. Make sure you know what legal steps to take to protect your child custody rights.
