Avoiding becoming a Disneyland Parent

Even though your divorce in Georgia may mark an end to your marital tension, it no doubt takes a heavy emotional toll on you. Given how deeply affected you are by it, imagine how much more so your kids feel the impact of your divorce.

Many in your same situation come to us here at Family Lawyers of Atlanta concerned about their children harboring resentment towards them. This fear often prompts them to fill the time they have with their kids with fun activities and give their kids the latest toys and technologies. One can understand why you may feel tempted to do the same, yet such actions may have the opposite effect of what you desire.

What is a “Disneyland Parent?”

The term for divorced parents that go out of their way to spoil their kids is “Disneyland Parents.” The use of the term “Disneyland” implies vacations and trips, yet you may be a Disneyland parent simply if the overall focus of your custodial time is fun rather than trying to maintain a typical home (with rules and routines).

The trouble with spoiling kids

The danger of being a Disneyland parent is twofold. The first concern is that (according to the National Center for Fathering) your ex-spouse might infer your actions as an attempt to undermine their parental authority. You seemingly attempt to position yourself as “the fun parent,” essentially attempting to buy your kids’ affection while painting your ex-spouse as the strict authoritarian. This may contribute to further strife and contention between you and your ex-spouse.

The second is that spoiling your kids may create the impression that you are more of a friend than a parent. This could lead your kids to both not respect your authority or trust you when they need parental guidance.

You can find more information on managing your custody arrangement throughout our site.