It can be difficult to introduce your new partner to your children and at first they may find it hard to cope with the idea that they will not be seeing their other parent within the same household, particularly if you have recently divorced or separated from their biological mother/father. But there are steps you can take to help the transition be a little smoother.
Introduce Them When You Are Ready
It is a good idea to wait to introduce your new partner to them until you know it is more serious and you have established long term plans. Otherwise it could be confusing and unsettling for your child/children to get used to a new adult in their life. They might also feel that their other parent is being replaced, so you want to explain that this will not be the case and that you both love them dearly even though you may no longer be living together.
Have a Talk With Your Children
It will be better to have this conversation with your children during a quiet moment at home which will enable them to ask you any questions or queries they may have about your new partner. It is important to be able to listen to any concerns or worries they have so that you can address any issues as soon as possible and reassure them if they feel upset or confused. Here are some tips on how to talk about tough topics with your child if you need some support.
Do Activities Together
It might be a good idea to plan an occasion where you can all spend time together without it being too awkward. You could do an activity like visit a theme park, go to a museum, see a film at the cinema or go bowling. It might help to have an activity included as part of the day so that there is less likely to be awkward moments or silence when you are sitting round the dinner table and think things are not going too well or your children do not like your new partner. There is some research that suggests family traditions help with bonding, so maybe you can start to introduce activities that you would like to turn in to traditions, especially if the first few, meetings are around Christmas time.
Plan Trips To See Your New Partner With The Children
Once you have decided that you would definitely like to live with your new partner and they currently live abroad it is worth applying for a spouse visa k3 to give yourself enough time to process the necessary paperwork. You can also pop over for shorter visits before the permanent move with your children, so that they can become accustomed to the new environment. Otherwise it might be a bit of a shock to them to suddenly inform them that they are going to be attending a completely different school and living in a foreign country where they do not know anyone.
Overall it is sensible to gradually introduce your new partner to your children and allow them to get used to your new partner so that they can feel comfortable and happy about the latest member of your family.