New house rules may be necessary after a divorce

 Posted on January 30, 2017 in Child Custody

Tending to a child's needs is always a challenge, but newly single parents have to adjust to doing it on their own. This can be daunting when you are used to making important decisions after consulting with your spouse.

Often children find it difficult to accept the fact that their parents are no longer together. It is very easy for the emotional turmoil they are experiencing to manifest itself in behavioral problems. So your task of raising a child becomes doubly difficult as the child begins acting out at the very same time you are trying to enforce house rules by yourself.

So once the divorce is finalized and you are sharing custody with the child's other parent, you may want to re-assess the rules that had been in place during your marriage. Keep in mind that your home means your rules, so if there is anything you want to change, you are free to do it.

But new rules may not alter regressive or attention seeking behavior that can be exhibited by your child. It's not uncommon for a child whose parents recently divorced to attempt to stretch boundaries just to see what he or she can get away with. So when you set your rules, you want to also let the child know negative consequences will follow bad conduct. And the consequences you issue for bad behavior when the child is in your possession should take place only under your roof.

As a single parent, you will have your work cut out for you. But things can be much easier if you have a parenting plan that includes a workable schedule that provides consistency and an appropriate level of structure. And an experienced family law attorney can help you create and negotiate a parenting schedule that works for you and is in your child's best interests.