divorce resources
WAS IT THE CHOCOLATE PUDDING?
This is a resource for young children whose parents are getting divorced. In this story, the parents separate right after the kids get into some chocolate pudding and make quite a mess. This book speaks to the dynamic of children blaming themselves when something hard happens. Usually the quiet way that children internalize things and think that they caused something to happen is not talked about much, so this book can be a great tool for bringing that dynamic out into the light. It also serves to normalize a co-parenting lifestyle after a divorce in which both parents stay actively involved in their child's life.
DINOSAURS DIVORCE
This book seems most geared towards elementary aged kids, though parts of it could be shared with a younger child by showing the pictures and reading aspects of it that apply most to their situation. This book covers a lot of topics in a divorce ranging from why parents divorce to adjusting to new living situations to the possibility of your parent dating and then re-marrying. Depending on your family story, this may even be a helpful resource to read in stages to give the child some time to digest different aspects of what they are experiencing. I especially love the feeling normalization and the encouragement towards the child to express how he/she feels. In many ways, this could be a good resource for parents to read first as it may raise some blind spots about how they are coping themselves.
MY FAMILY’S CHANGING
This book is a simple guide for normalizing divorce for children. It does this by touching on the various ways that families change and the adjustments involved for everyone, yet while also assuring children that the love from the parent to the child is secure. It also affirms the various emotions that children often experience when adjusting to their parents divorce and encourages the expression of those feelings, so that emotions are not bottled up.
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Elizabeth B. Burton is a licensed professional counselor with Burton Counseling, PLLC. Elizabeth provides online counseling for individual adults living in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Georgia. Elizabeth provides in person counseling for individuals located near Chattanooga, TN. You can learn more about counseling with Elizabeth here.
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