Welcome back to our series on dealing with the emotional impacts of divorce on children. Thus far, we have looked at:
- Dealing With Kids’ Emotions In Divorce (An Introduction)
- Anger and the Child of Divorce
- Anxiety and the Child of Divorce
- Chaos and the Child of Divorce
- Confusion and the Child of Divorce
- Denial and the Child of Divorce
- Depression and the Child of Divorce
- Embarrassment and the Child of Divorce
This week, we will look at the issue of fear in children of divorce. Dr. Archibald Hart writes,
“Divorce opens up a great unknown. It is ominous and dangerous, and a child is invited, no, forced to plunge into its unknown depths.” (Dr. Archibald Hart, Helping Children Survive Divorce, 1996, Thomas Nelson)
This great unknown, along with other things, leads to numerous fears in the child of divorce. Indeed, Dr. Hart explains that the first reaction of children of divorce upon receiving the news. Those fears continue throughout he multitude of changes that occur in the child’s life. Dealing with a child’s fears involves patience and understanding.
At Divorce Ministry 4 Kids, we have put together the following one page infographic on helping children of divorce deal with fear related to the divorce of their parents (click on the picture below for a full sized pdf version of the pamphlet). Please feel free to share this pamphlet with parents and others who work with children of divorce.
