Tips for Disciplining Children After Divorce

Divorced parents must still stay on the same wavelength with regard to how they will discipline their children. There must be some consistency across households, otherwise it can make matters more emotionally difficult for children who are already likely to have a difficult time adjusting.

Here are some tips for maintaining good discipline in your children after your divorce.

• Keep them busy: Afterschool activities can be a blessing for children whose parents have just gone through a divorce, because it gives them something positive to focus on and an outlet for hem to make friends. When they’re at home, make sure they stay in a routine that includes homework time, play time and chores. Routines and activities are crucial for healthy development and discipline, especially for children dealing with emotional trauma.
• Set boundaries: It’s important to set boundaries and rules for your children that they must follow, and to make those boundaries and rules age appropriate. Reward good and bad behavior as you see it.
• Be consistent: It’s crucial that you are both crucial with how you discipline and with the boundaries you set. There can’t be one set of rules in one house and a different set in the other. Stick the rules you set, as the more you get flexible with the rules, the less your children will respect your authority and the more they’ll test those boundaries in the other parent’s house, which is unfair to them.
• Don’t get angry: Getting angry does not help anything. Keeping your anger under control shows you can discipline while being respectful and loving.

For more tips about disciplining children when you’ve been through a divorce, contact an experienced Long Island divorce attorney at Bryan L. Salamone & Associates.