Divorcing parents lose sleep agonizing over how to guide their children through the complicated emotions and life changes that come alongside divorce. While divorce is tough on kids, forty percent of American children experience the divorce of their parents and parents contemplating a split don't have to look far for guidance.
There are a wealth of resources available to co-parents (including helpful therapeutic ones), but tools that help parents understand divorce from the eyes of children themselves can be particularly helpful. As adults, we do our best to shelter children from conflict (as we should), but children should be encouraged to voice their feelings and sometimes that means they have opinions to share.
HBO's documentary "Dont Divorce Me! Kids' Rules for Parents on Divorce" interviews children of divorce between the ages of five to ten years old. These children share their tips for divorcing parents such as, "try to make sure that your kids get both parents kind of equally" and "don't use kids as a messenger".
“When thinking about divorce, a child’s perspective can often be left out of the equation,” notes executive producer Rosie O’Donnell. “This film puts these kids front and center, advocating on their behalf. DON’T DIVORCE ME! will help remind parents and children alike that at the end of the day, we must respect and listen to one another.”
You can watch "Dont Divorce Me! Kids' Rules for Parents on Divorce" and find out more HERE.