Augusta GA Military Divorce Lawyer - Dealing without a dad
by Lisa Lacey - Knoxville Parenting Teens Examiner
With the passing of Father's Day recently and the over-exposure to dad's day advertisements, we can't help but think of our own dad this time of year.
For kids that don't have a dad to celebrate this day, it can be an unpleasant reminder of the absence. One child in twenty will lose a parent to death before their high school graduation. Others will face this day alone due to military deployment, divorce or abandonment. Our little ones will openly and honestly talk about this loss or absence while our older kids will tend to bottle up their feelings.
How can we help our teens through this day and maybe even get a smile at the end of the day?
Talk to your teen. This sounds like a no brainer but a lot of parents may think if their child isn't talking about their dad, then he isn't on their mind. Just because your teen isn't initiating conversation doesn't mean he isn't thinking about his dad. Holidays, birthdays and yes, Father's Day are just a few dates that will trigger a memory or thought. Pick the right time during these occassions to remember and talk about dad, even if the circumstances are divorce and your own personal opinion clashes with what you need to say. Your teenager may be big, tall and able to eat enough food for three grown men but this doesn't mean he's grown and he doesn't need to hear the realities of what type of person his dad is, what he did wrong or any other adult opinions.
Get out the album. No matter what the age, kids love looking back on old photo albums. If you're a family experiencing deployment, or worse, death, this can be an incredibly difficult task to achieve. Remember, our kids are much stronger than us and finding our own strength to pull out the memories can prove to be theraputic for both parent and child. Browsing through goofy pictures of dad can definitely bring a chuckle from our teenager and help them open up and talk about their feelings.
Visit relatives. If you're divorced or separated and still on speaking terms with anyone in the family, visit them during occassion. It may be easier to let others who still have fond memories to talk to your teen about their dad. Relatives will be able to tell him stories that you may not even know. Your teen may be able to connect with a story about the time his dad got in trouble with grandpa for sneaking in past curfew. You'll get the joy of seeing your child laugh and he'll have the chance to see his dad through the eyes of others.
Alexandra Gonzalez-Waddington is an Augusta GA divorce lawyer & Georgia Military Divorce Lawyer Augusta Georgia domestic mediator. She is an Augusta military divorce lawyer, GA child custody attorney , and Augusta Georgia child support attorney. She offers mediation for divorce, child custody, and child support.
