A marital breakup can quickly take its toll on the children involved, even when the children are adults. This is especially true during the holiday season, as adult children may feel conflicted or torn about whom they will spend the holidays with. Here are a couple of tips for helping adult children to confidently navigate their parents’ divorce during the holidays in Illinois.
Creating new traditions
Divorcing parents with adult children may want to encourage their children to create their own holiday rituals and traditions moving forward. For instance, instead of making Christmas one day, adult children can celebrate Christmas with one parent on Christmas Day and celebrate with the other parent on Christmas Eve. Likewise, Thanksgiving does not have to be celebrated on Thanksgiving Day only. Thanksgiving Day could be spent with Dad, and then, Black Friday could be spent shopping with Mom.
Managing expectations
Individuals who are going through divorce might also want to encourage their adult children to enjoy the holidays and not worry about what they cannot control. The parents should ideally remind their children that they are not responsible for their parents’ happiness. Instead, it is best for the children to simply focus on spending quality time with their parents whenever they have the chance to visit them.
The important role of legal support
The divorce process can no doubt be overwhelming, but it does not have to be acrimonious. If two divorcing individuals can find common ground regarding matters like property division and spousal support, they can reach a settlement at the negotiation table. This means they can avoid going to divorce court, which tends to be more stressful than settling outside of court. Of course, an experienced Illinois family law attorney will be prepared to litigate any unresolved issues, focusing on protecting the best interests of his or her client while fighting for the best possible outcome.
