More No-No’s for Kids and Divorce
As I’ve posted recently here, here and here, issues often arise about how to handle kids and divorce. One of the problems has received recent media attention from Hulk Hogan’s divorce. Apparently Hulk is sending messages to estranged wife Linda through their 17-year-old son and otherwise discussing divorce issues — the sale of the marital residence — with him, causing the son to developed emotional issues. See article here.
One would think it goes without saying that parents should not put their children in the middle of communication about grown-up issues. Most Texas divorce courts enter orders prohibiting discussions about the litigation in the hearing of the child as soon as the divorce is filed. Some counties, including Dallas, Collin, Tarrant, and Denton, call these “Standing Orders” (see blog post Dallas Divorce Lawyers Know…). But, sometimes parents still allow their judgment to be clouded by the emotion of the divorce to the extent that they forget to put the kids first.
Dick Price has a good blog post on his website about Divorce No No’s that he says can lead to emotional and behavioral problems. His list of No No’s includes:
- Make a child into a messenger.
- Let the kids overhear comments about the other parent.
- Let the kids be present, in person or on the phone, to hear arguments about the kids.
- Make comments directly to the child about the other parent.
- Discuss the “facts” or “truth” about the divorce with the kids.
- Inform the kids, or let them know, about what they are missing out on becasue they will be with the other parent.
- Ask the kids to make choices between parents.
To read more of Mr. Price’s article, click here.