The Situation
Since the divorce, something's shifted — more attitude, more pushback, behavior that didn't used to show up. It's easy to read every outburst as proof the divorce is damaging them, which makes ordinary discipline feel loaded in a way it didn't before. Every response feels like it might be the wrong one.
Some behavior change after a major family shift is common and doesn't necessarily mean something is going seriously wrong — kids often act out because it's the most direct way they know to express something they don't have the words for yet. That said, this is genuinely a place where structure and consistency matter more than perfect words, and where a professional's read can be more useful than a guess from either parent.
Kids often act out the feeling they can't yet say out loud. Consistent structure and calm boundaries usually help more than any single conversation does. Stay steady — that's the actual message they're picking up on, more than whatever you say in the moment.
Don't try to be the fun parent to compensate for the divorce, and don't overcorrect into being purely strict either. Just keep being reliably, boringly consistent. Consistency is what tells a kid the ground is still solid, even when other things changed.
Every family's situation is different — tell the Council what's actually happening.
Tell the Council what's actually happening → Ask the Council