Megan Barber
Franklin Free Press
Divorce is heartbreaking for spouses to go through, but sometimes they forget that their children are hurting, too. With the children of divorced families in mind, Colbert Heights First Baptist Church in Tuscumbia is now offering DivorceCare for Kids (DC4K) to accompany its DivorceCare classes for adults.
DivorceCare is a support group designed for adults who at any level of divorce can find hope and healing as they work through their feelings developed during their divorce. If someone is going through divorce or has been divorced for two years, the program is designed to address all the issues and emotions of divorce at any stage.
However, this is the first time at the church that a class for children is being taught. DC4K is a program for children of divorced parents, ages 5 to 12, to help them cope with their feelings through their new family transition.
“A lot of people do not consider how their kids will feel during the divorce,” said Barry Cummings, the DivorceCare group leader. “A child’s feelings are multiplied by two because they feel they are losing both parents.”
Cummings went through a divorce and found healing through DivorceCare classes. Now he serves in full-time ministry helping other people find healing as they deal with the pain of divorce.
Everyone who serves in a leadership role in DivorceCare has gone through divorce and the DivorceCare program. After finding hope in the classes, the DC4K leaders, Melissa and Jessica, want to help children deal with their feelings and help them understand their new family structure.
During DC4K, the teachers and children will explore topics such as “What is happening to my family?”, “God loves all kinds of families,” and “Developing new relationships.” They will also discuss emotions like anger, depression and blame children feel about their parent’s divorce.
“Every child thinks that it is their fault that their parents are divorced,” said Cummings.
At the end of the class, the parents will be given a paper called “DC4K for Parents” that explains what the child learned during the class. The DC4K topics coincide with the topics for the adult class to create a conversation between the parents and the child.
“A lot of parents do not realize that their children are hurting,” Cummings said. “However, the parent’s healing is dependent on the child’s healing.”
DivorceCare and DC4K classes will begin this Wednesday, February 4 from 6-8 p.m. The classes will meet every Wednesday for 13 weeks.
“Come let us help you with your healing,” Cummings said. “Everyone is welcome.”
