Many different things that occur in a divorce can have a direct impact on the rest of your life. One area that you have to be very careful about what you do is with the children. You have to find the balance between consistency with your old parenting style and exercising your new solo parenting style.
Some people don’t realize that their parenting style might change some after a divorce because of the fact that you aren’t having to compromise with your ex on simple parenting decisions. If you realize that your parenting style is changing, you should evaluate why and determine how to make sure you are acting in your child’s best interests.
One thing that you don’t want to do is to change your parenting style as a way to get back at your ex. Your ex might have some concerns about how you parent your children now, but this is likely minimal. If your ex is usually permissive, you being overly strict isn’t really a good idea. The opposite is true, too.
As you are evaluating your parenting style, think carefully about how your child is responding to the changes. You might find that some points that you thought would work actually don’t. If this is the case, you should take the time to figure out how to tweak the methods you are using so that they work for you and your ex.
It can be difficult to settle into your new role as a solo parent. Make sure that you remain firm and consistent so that your children can start to work through the situation and move forward with life.
Source: Our Family Wizard, “Has Divorce Changed Your Parenting Style?,” accessed March 30, 2018
