July is National Child-Centered Divorce Month in the United States

WEST PALM BEACH — No one suffers from divorce more than children do. When divorcing parents neglect their children in favor of open bickering — or when they use the children as tools to communicate with or manipulate their spouses — it has a terrible effect on the children’s emotional and psychological well being. Many divorce professionals today, from lawyers and mediators to therapists and counselors, are trying to get out the message that divorcing parents must always put the children’s needs first.

Rosalind Sedacca is one of those professionals. A leader in promoting child-centered divorce, Sedacca founded an event last year called National Child-Centered Divorce Month, in which professionals across America joined forces to spread the word about the importance of children’s welfare throughout the divorce process.

The second annual National Child-Centered Divorce Month takes place this July.

An award-winning professional speaker and Certified Corporate Trainer in communication and relationship issues, as well as the author of How Do I Tell the Kids about the Divorce?, Sedacca works closely with divorce professionals and parents to help initiate the best possible outcome in divorce.

“I attribute most of the negative consequences of divorce,” Sedacca explains on her website, “to one or both parents making choices that are not in the best interests of their children. Frequently, parents are so caught up in their own drama — in anger, resentment, frustration, grief, and other emotions — that they forget their children love both Mom and Dad and, in most cases, do not want to lose the connection with their other parent.”

She is calling out to divorce professionals across the United States, especially coaches and counselors, to reach out to their communities during this year’s National Child-Centered Divorce Month. Among the things they can do are: hold seminars or publish articles about children and divorce; get interviews on TV or the radio; post on webzines, online discussion forums, or blogs on the subject; or send out press releases. The key is to get the word out to divorcing parents that they should impart the following messages to their children:

• None of this is your fault.
• Both Mom and Dad still love you — and always will.
• Despite the changes in your life, you will be okay because Mom and Dad are handling things with your best interests at heart.

“For too long, our nation has been negligent in recognizing the respect we owe to our children,” Sedacca says on her site. “This is especially true for parents experiencing the challenges of divorce or separation. We’ve all read the headlines and seen the damage inflicted onto children through divorce gone wrong. In July, we need to discuss and demonstrate how parents can do it right [by] enlisting the nation’s legal and therapeutic communities for one purpose: bringing a heightened awareness to parents about their children’s fragile sense of self-esteem.”

For more information on National Child-Centered Divorce Month, visit ChildCenteredDivorce.com.

Divorce Magazine and DivorceMagazine.com have been leaders in helping parents and children of divorce for more than 12 years. Our website includes a wide-ranging archive of helpful articles about children and divorce, parenting and stepfamilies, child custody, and child support.

• Within a Child’s Heart
• Creating Clarity from Chaos
• The Co-parenting Relationship

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