When you divorce, your primary concern is your kids. And, part of those child custody concerns is how to make your two new homes both feel like family homes.
Location
The first factor is location. One or both parents should keep their home or apartment in the same city or school district that the current Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, family home is located in. This will keep your child’s school and social life largely unchanged. This will go a long way in helping them transition through the divorce because they will only have to deal with a home life upheaval, not a social and academic upheaval as well.
Professional Help
Do not hide the divorce. Be open and honest about what is happening, and make sure these conversations occur with the aid of a Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, mental health professional.
Involve Your Kids
When you are buying, renting and decorating, involve your kids. Your kids should have a say in where they live to make sure it feels like home. They need to feel like they are building this new foundation, and the way they feel stability is by feeling they have some sort of control. This is done by giving them a sense of choice and ownership.
Give Them Their Own Space And The Ability To Create It
After the kids have a say in where they live and how it looks, carve out their own space. This could be their own room, or just their own corner, a closet, a bookshelf, etc. Then let them decorate it. Again, this is giving them ownership and a sense of choice over their space.
Try To Make It Fun
Try to think beyond what your kid needs, like a bed and a toothbrush, even if they are only there on weekends or holidays. Think broadly about how to make their space fun and engaging. Stock the house with their favorite foods, toys, posters of their favorite superheroes and characters, etc.
Key Takeaways
You want your Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, home to reflect them. You want your home to be their home and to reflect them. You want it to reflect that you want them there, and it will begin to feel like their home too.