But in order for them to develop the capacity to initiate and sustain healthy interpersonal relationships throughout their lives, their emotional needs must be addressed as well. For children of divorce, this includes overt and covert permission from each parent to maintain a loving, intimate relationship with the other. A confident sense of self derives from children's awareness that their parents really know them and accept them for who they are. It is also vitally important that parents be aware of the possibility that they and their children may have significantly divergent priorities. This is particularly true in divorced and divorcing families.
Children look to their parents as role models for how to live their lives.
In this regard, suffice it to say that actions speak much more loudly than words. It is parental behavior rather than empty platitudes or legal maneuvering that truly has an impact on kids, so it is incumbent upon parents to behave inspirationally. To be an inspiring role model at holiday time, parents simply need to act on what they have been told all of their lives. The term high-conflict divorce refers to divorces characterized by almost continuous parental hostility and conflict even years after the actual marital separation. Caught between warring parents who have little idea of how their behavior harms their children, these youngsters are constantly traumatized by the skirmishes in which their so-called caretakers engage.