Divorced Parents and Children Who Don't Want to Talk to Them

One of the most difficult cases for me are those where a child, usually somewhere between 10 and 18 years old, doesn't want any kind of relationship with one of their parents.  I see this most often in the case of divorce or separation.  These are complex situations.  Everyone in the family is grieving the loss of the parental unit and sometimes parents pressure children to take sides, while at other times a parent-child relationship was already strained, and the divorce serves as the final break.  My primary aim here is to speak to the parent who has recently separated or divorced and whose child or children don't want to come for visits, won't speak on the phone when you call, and seem sullen or distant if you are able to get time with them.

When I talk to these parents, they are very frustrated.  Often they are angry at their ex for not making the kids visit and feel they are somehow being undermined.  I believe this can and does happen, but in my clinical experience, this is rare.  What is usually the case is that the child is angry.  What I hear from kids when they don't want to see a parent is usually a history of a bad relationship.  In many cases there has been abuse of a verbal or physical nature, but it doesn't have to be that extreme.  It could be as subtle as "We never really connected or got along."  This could be daily butting of heads or just general distance and avoidance in the relationship.  If a child saw a lot of conflict between you and your ex this is often a contributing factor.  If you start dating quickly or remarry and don't include your kids in the process and talk to them about it proactively, this is another time where kids might shut down and shut you out.  They could just be angry at you for getting divorced and blowing up their family.

REPAIRING THE RELATIONSHIP

So what can you do about it?  If I'm being honest, these situations frustrate me as a therapist, because the overwhelming response I get is, "I need your help to make this kid visit me or like me, and I need your help making my ex get with the program."  I can help your child process what is going on and will always encourage reconciliation, but change isn't going to come from them, your ex, or me.  It must start with you.

If your child doesn't want to be around you, that suggests a problem in the relationship.  Forget about blaming your ex for that.  Even if they are contributing to the problem, there's nothing you can do about it.  All you can control is your response to your child in the present.  Often an apology is in order.  You need to see that your actions over the years have likely hurt your child, and you need to be willing to listen to their complaints and offer a sincere apology for your failings and for the fact that a divorce or separation happened.  Again, it's not about your ex's role in the split or the fact that they equally contributed to the arguments- what your kids have seen and decided is that in some way you are the bad one.

Many of you get stuck here because it seems so unfair.  Let me explain.  I see a lot of problems when adults get into "control mode" with teenagers.  There is a time and a place to push obedience, compliance, and respect.  But if your child is a pre-teen or teen, they are out of the stage where control is the primary mode of parenting.  They have moved into a stage where you are preparing them to be responsible adults, guiding them, and developing a relationship that is strong enough to continue after they (or you in this case) leave the home.  When you get divorced, you cannot invoke the parental right of control to make your kid come see you if you have not put in the work to have a good relationship with them.

The logic is simple.  In any other relationship, say with a friend or a coworker, if you had a poor relationship and you did things to upset them, would you insist that they enjoy your company or spend time with you without first trying to talk to them and sort things out?  If you wronged them, you would apologize and try to make things right.  If they decided they didn't want to be around you it would probably be upsetting but you would respect it.  Why are children not afforded this same courtesy?  They too are human beings who can be offended and hurt, and the steps of restitution and restoration still apply.

THE NEXT STEP

Practically this means not forcing them to see you.  Likely they have felt controlled or pushed around already, and making them do things with you doesn't help with this feeling.  Let them know that you will give them time and space.  Send them letters in which you apologize and reach out.  Call once a week.  If possible, arrange to stop by their home for brief visits just to say hello.  Invite them to fun, low pressure outings like a movie or sporting event.  Many kids tell me going out to eat is awkward because you're sitting face to face and pressured to make conversation.  Go watch them play soccer or perform in the school play and say hello afterward.  Go for a walk or bike ride.  Don't give up on your children.

If you have hangups that have hurt your relationship like an addiction, anger management issue, or workaholic tendencies, take the time to work on this in order to show them that you are serious about changing things.

I know this is a tall order.  Some of you bristle at the notion of apologizing and humbling yourself before your children in this way.  It is a risk, because they still have the power to reject you.  In that case, you will at least know that you did all you could to achieve reconciliation, and their bitterness will be their responsibility and burden to bear.  It is a risk you will find rewarding and worth taking.

The Unexpected

Now that I have some distance from the holiday season, I've been mulling over the way I respond to holidays and big events.  I'm continually surprised by what a let down New Year's Eve tends to be, and this year's Super Bowl was another event that I looked forward to for weeks, only to end up feeling like a bored zombie while watching a game that was never even close.  So often a day that I'm told is supposed to be exciting or celebratory falls flat.  Why is this?  Have you ever had this experience?  The bigger the day, it seems like the bigger chance for frustration and disappointment.  If you're beginning to wonder where I'm going with such a downer subject, let me assure you I am not Eeyore the donkey in disgruntled human form.  I think the key is found in the unexpected.

You Can't Force It

One of the rules of psychology is that if you try not to think of something, you will inevitably only be able to think of that thing.  Try it right now.  Don't think of an elephant.  Why are you thinking of an elephant standing on a ball?  Stop it and pay attention to what I'm trying to write about.

It is the same with events.  If we approach a day or a situation with preconceived ideas about how it's going to be or how it's supposed to be, we will be focused on that and will end up having a bad time.  Your mind is focused on one thing to the exclusion of the actual experience.  This is another way of saying that in life, you can't force things.  You cannot force yourself to have a good time if you're telling yourself that you should be having a good time, and you can't make other people behave the way you want them to.

I just had a birthday.  This is another day that we are told is supposed to be one of the best of the year.  People always ask me on my birthday what I'm doing to celebrate or if I had a great day.  I feel so much pressure to make it a great day, that even if something great happens, I'm not really able to be in the moment.  Often some activity to celebrate my birthday either several days before or after the big day ends up being more meaningful.  The exception to this rule was a couple of years ago when on my birthday, my wife surprised me by turning our kitchen into a candlelit French cafe and preparing all my favorite foods.  Realizing this pattern, I see that the best days are the ones we haven't planned, the times we are surprised.

The 3 Hangover movies were wildly successful, and I think part of the reason is that they tap into this reality, albeit in a raucous, immoral manner.  Friends get together with an idea of what they're going to end up doing for a bachelor party, and one crazy thing happens after another.  We are drawn to "I can't believe that just happened!"

 

Wednesdays

Look back on your fondest memories.  Some of them may have been big days, like your wedding or the birth of a child.  But I would wager that many of them were days when you woke up expecting one thing and got another.  At the end you find yourself smiling, laughing, and feeling grateful for the experience.  This is the power of the unexpected.  You can't force it, and it often appears in very simple moments.  But you can put yourself in a position to experience it more often.  For me, it's about moving through life with open hands, not holding too tightly to expectations or thoughts about how a day or event should go.  It's realizing that the middle of the week could be more profound or enjoyable than the Saturday night plans I've been looking forward to all week.

I believe this principle holds true with God as well.  We cannot force God to show up when and how we want Him to, nor can we create the kind of experiences we want during worship services or times of prayer.  God moves in the unexpected, and asks us to be ready for Him to break through in our lives each day in thousands of ways, from the mundane to the life changing.  Our responsibility is to be ready, to adopt a child-like attitude of hope and expectation, without forcing it.  So many of our expectations are completely self absorbed and God wants to take us out of that, to be ready to actually experience what is around us.