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After a divorce, it’s common for one or both parties to set up a new household. This can be challenging when there are children involved. For divorcing parents in Louisiana, the welfare of their children is one of their biggest concerns. Luckily, there are some strategies that can make it easier for children to adapt to new residences.

Making the kids comfortable

Typically, when divorced parents share physical custody, their children need to become comfortable moving from one home to another. This means they’ll need to adapt to at least one new residence. It’s important to encourage children to process their feelings when it comes to the issue of relocation. Having a conversation with them and honestly answering their questions can go a long way to making them more comfortable.

It’s also a good idea to let children have a role in decorating their space in the new home. That doesn’t mean you have to let them do everything. But giving them the chance to have input about a color scheme, for example, allows them to feel like the new residence is theirs.

Understand that no matter how smoothly the moving process goes and how involved the children feel, it will take some time to adjust. The child custody arrangements after a divorce are a big change for everyone. Children may feel like they have the least amount of control in the process. It can be a big challenge for them.

Some parents are now deciding that the best approach is for children to stay in one home every day. The parents rotate in and out, not the children. Families that use this approach are still in the minority. But some parents are finding that it can really work for them, at least early in the divorce before they’ve partnered up again.