The end of a marriage affects the entire family. For young children, it can feel like the unravelling of the family unit. It is easy for parents to lose themselves in the details of the divorce and to ignore the potential stress that the child faces. To ensure that the California divorce does not take casualties with it, special attention to a child’s health and wellness is critical during this time.

If it takes extra support to ensure that a child is healthy, then parents need to make it a priority. With the use of data from the UK Millennium Cohort Study, researchers discovered that children of divorced parents are more likely to be overweight. The data includes the effect of divorce on children as a long-term process. On average, children of separated parents have a higher BMI. The data shows that there is an association.

A number of factors stemming from the divorce may be at fault. Parents may have less time to prepare proper meals, children may emotionally eat or there may be less money for athletics. One point remains true; divorce in a family has long-term effects. Children often internalize negative emotions, which can lead to an increase of illness, weight gain and mental disorders. To prevent children from encountering lasting problems associated with a parental split, parents can take some advice.

Regain suggests that parents maintain a routine and sense of order. Children need to feel secure and have their needs reassured. Children depend on their parents and they need to have the certainty that it will not change with the split.