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614 Views 1 Replies Last post: Nov 9, 2009 3:11 PM by JessicaFOTF RSS
newlife Community Member 4 posts since
Nov 6, 2009
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Nov 6, 2009 10:23 AM

Reaching out to teens during painful divorce.

I have two teenager sons and am in the process of a painful divorce. After 18 years of marriage, my wife decided to move on with her life. Although she keeps justifying the cause of her actions, a 3rd person is actually involved. We have signed all the papers and are just waiting for the official finalization of our marital status change.

 

We have joint custody of the boys and they are living with me.

 

Although my wife and I had been handling this whole thing in a very civilized way (no yelling, fighting or making any scenes in front of the kids), the kids are totally casualties in this incident. The kids know about this 3rd person who is the major triggering point of our family breakup. I know they are bitter, angry, and frustrated. I took them to professional counseling but they did not feel comfortable at all. I told the school principal about our family situation and hopefully they would give extra effort to care for them but little was done. Our kids do not join any youth groups at church even though I kept encouraging them to go in the past 2-3 years. I have been telling them that I am available to talk with them when they need to. However, I am still waiting. Although they appear ok in their daily routines, I have observed that my 17 year old has lost a lot of his enthusiasm in his school activities and often said that he is very tired.

 

I am so worried about the boys and afraid that their constant suppression of their emotions will one day explode in an unmanageable manner. At this point, I am just praying for them every day and asking God for wisdom to handle the whole thing. It is very fragile!

 

Any counsel or advice is appreciated.

Tags: teens, divorce
JessicaFOTF Focus Employee 511 posts since
Nov 7, 2008
Currently Being Moderated
1. Nov 9, 2009 3:38 PM in response to: newlife
Re: Reaching out to teens during painful divorce.

Oh newlife~

     I can tell how much you love your boys just by reading your message. Divorce is never an easy thing to navigate, and throwing children into the mix just makes it more difficult. However, having a caring, involved parent can make all the difference in the world and they're lucky to have you behind them.

     Of course, probably the best counsel I could offer you right now is just to keep lifting your sons before God. He can work in their lives and heal the scars this may have left. It may take some time, but I've had many close friends who've walked through their parents' divorces and come out on the other side with an even stronger relationship with the Lord.

     With this said, you're on the right track in trying to take some action here. I think your idea of getting them into some sort of counseling is a good one. Of course, I know they're not too keen on this idea. Is there any pastor/youth pastor they would feel comfortable talking with?

     Also, you might consider talking personally with a counselor about this situation. I know those on our staff would be happy to help. Maybe they could give you some pointers or suggestions on how to get your sons the help and support they need.

     In the meantime, there's some great books and materials out there on this subject. To start with, you might want to read through our articles on teens and divorce. Helping Children Survive Divorce and Broken: Making Sense of Life After Your Parents' Divorce are also 2 great books on this subject.

     Well, I know's there's other parents out there who have walked down this road as well. So, hopefully you'll get some input from them. But, while you're waiting you might want to take a look at some past posts from our counselors on this topic here, here, (BettyJFOTF) and here (JimVFOTF).

     I hope some of this info helps. You and your sons will be in my prayers. Keep us posted, ok?

 

Jessica

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