Your Child's Pediatrician Should Know About Your Divorce

 Posted on October 19, 2017 in Children and Divorce

People going through a divorce can be reluctant to tell casual acquaintances about it. The process is personal and not something they want to share with everyone they meet. However, there are people outside of your friends and family who need to know about the divorce. One such person is your child’s pediatrician. The emotional impact of your divorce can cause developmental and behavioral maladies in children. A pediatrician may be able to help your children, but he or she needs to know that the divorce may be causing the problems. Keeping your pediatrician informed of your child’s life circumstances may help prevent some of the struggles your child will go through during the divorce.

Effects of Divorce

Children feel emotional pain when their parents divorce or separate, regardless of their age or how amicable the divorce is. Feelings of abandonment, anger and self-blame can become emotional scars that last for years. Depending on the child’s age, the emotional effects of divorce on children can manifest as:

• Separation anxiety;
• Increased irritability;
• Developmental regression;
• Eating and sleeping disorders;
• Behavioral outbursts; and
• Suicidal thoughts.

Talking to Your Pediatrician

It may be awkward to have that initial conversation with your pediatrician about your divorce. Remember that you do not need to share every detail about your divorce. The pediatrician needs to know the details that relate to your children and their health, such as:

• Their living situation with each parent;
• Noticeable ways they have reacted to the divorce;
• How much they are exposed to conflict between the parents; and
• If either parent has a history of abusive behavior.

Ideally, you will find a time to meet the pediatrician in person to discuss how the divorce is affecting your children. For convenience, you can start the conversation with a telephone call or email.

Ways to Help

A pediatrician is not going to prescribe a medicine that will cure your child of the emotional effects of divorce. However, knowing about the divorce can allow him or her to help your child in other ways, such as:

• Watching for signs of unhealthy behavior that children of divorce often show;
• Advising you on how your parenting can help your children cope with the divorce; and
• Referring you to a counsellor with experience helping children of divorce.

Your Child’s Health

If you do not tell your pediatrician about your divorce, he or she is likely to hear about it from your child. Learning about the divorce late leaves the pediatrician less capable of helping your child. A Kane County family law attorney at Goostree Law Group will help you make decisions that are in the best interest of your child. Schedule a free consultation by calling 630-584-4800.

Source:

https://www.fatherly.com/health-science/effects-of-divorce-on-kids-pediatrician/