Children need their parents to provide an explanation: Why are you separating? Children need parents to tell them it was not their fault and that they are not bad kids. In this video, you can see that the children felt angry, alone and scared that the parent looking after them may not be able to cope.

They did not want to hear bad things about the other parent because it made them feel bad about themselves. One of the kids said “When my mom puts my dad down it makes me hurt inside”. Many of those negative comments were taken to heart by the children.

The next video is called the Battle Zone.  Some parents many find it uncomfortable to watch this video, sometimes because it may look a little too familiar.  If it makes you feel uncomfortable this is not necessarily a bad thing.  This awareness will help you reflect on how you may have handled disagreements in the past, how your children may have been affected by this, as well as how you might now manage these disagreements in the future in a way that is more effective and keeps the children out of the disagreement.