When you’re married, you share a life with that person, and that includes their family. This is especially true for couples with children. After getting a divorce, the life that you shared changes significantly. However, this doesn’t mean that your child should lose their family. While you may know the importance of having both parents involved in a child’s life, you can’t forget about their extended family members. Maintaining healthy relationships with extended family members is often in a child’s best interest, so it’s not as easy as cutting everything to do with your ex-spouse out of your life.
Everyone deserves to have loving extended family members involved in their lives, and a child’s need for a family doesn’t end because their parents are divorced.
Don’t Speak Badly About Relatives
You might be conscious of what you say about your ex-spouse when your children can hear you, but you can’t forget to watch yourself talking about extended family members as well. While it’s common to have disagreements with in-laws, and divorce can make these relationships even more strained, your child shouldn’t know this. If your child has the chance to have a happy relationship with their extended family, you don’t want to influence them not to.
Understand Grandparents Rights
Some parents might think that they alone have rights regarding their children. While this is largely true, it isn’t always the case. In some situations, grandparents in Tennessee also have rights. Tennessee laws keep children’s best interests in mind, which often means ensuring they have relationships with their grandparents.
If you don’t allow your children’s grandparents to have visitation time with them following a divorce, it’s possible that they may seek visitation themselves. Many grandparents want to be involved in their grandchildren’s lives, and these relationships can be beneficial to all parties.
Consider Your Child’s Best Interests
Of course, it isn’t always in your child’s best interests to keep certain people in their lives. Understandably, some parents may worry about the involvement of extended family members in their children’s lives. However, minor personal differences shouldn’t be a reason to keep your children from having healthy relationships with their other family members. You might not always get along with your former in-laws, but that doesn’t mean their relationship with your child isn’t loving and healthy.
Get the Help You Need During Your Divorce from MHPS
Divorce affects many more people than only the couple involved. At the center of many divorces are minor children going through extremely difficult life challenges. During and after the divorce, a child needs the support of their family more than ever.
At MHPS, we know how hard a divorce can be on every member of your family. Now more than ever, you need someone who will give you the compassion and assistance you need to get through this process. If you’re planning to get a divorce, you need our experienced divorce attorneys. We can help you through the challenges that lie ahead. Contact our divorce attorneys today to find out how we can help.
