Once you decide to divorce, you need to inform various people of your decision. Other than your spouse, the most important people to tell are your children.
How and when you do this can alter how the news affects them. Here are some things to consider:
Can you do it together?
If you and your spouse can sit down with the kids and break the news together, it reduces the chance you give mixed messages.
Where is a good place to do it?
It is probably best to tell them in the privacy of your own home. Remember, they or you might break down in tears during the conversation. Besides, you do not want others listening in on your news.
When is the ideal time to do it?
There will never be an ideal occasion, so in some ways, the sooner, the better, as it reduces the risk that the kids discover through someone else.
Avoid any day of particular significance, such as their birthday or Halloween, as you will ruin that date forevermore.
Also, avoid days where they have something crucial going on, such as a big sports match or a school exam as breaking the news beforehand will prevent them from concentrating on the task at hand.
Finally, make sure you and your spouse have time to sit around and answer their questions and comfort them. Block out your schedule for the day if possible.
You do not need to have all the answers before you tell your children, but finding out more about divorce first is still a good idea.