Encouraging Child-Centered Divorce and Separation

Jeanne Teleia, a marriage and family therapist, told the North Hawaii News that conflict in divorce is damaging to children, but that help is available to mitigate the worst and most prevalent side effects. “Teleia said a conflicted divorce can cause children to live with fear and depression, failure in school, suicidal feelings, drug and alcohol abuse,” feelings that they are to blame for the conflict, and may cause them to create abusive relationships in the future. She encourages parents to commit to a child-centered divorce where parents put their anger aside, resulting in less stress and energy spent, fewer expenses, and less damage inflicted upon the children. Teleia recommends learning more about child-friendly divorce and separation “for anyone who is already in conflict, is separating, is already divorced or has suffered from conflicted parents and doesn’t want to repeat the cycle.”