A Child's Fundamental Rights



The right to be joyful in my love for both parents, as well as in my love for other people who are important to me.

The right to be kept away from the ugly details of an emotionally charged adult situation.

The right to value both parents' love for me and to value their parenting styles.

The right to fully experience being a child without having to address an adult's emotional well-being.

The right to have my needs and interests carefully considered when decisions are being made that impact my life.

The right to feel comfortable about my day, my week, my summer, and my holidays without my parents fighting about the schedule and making disruptive changes.

The right to know what parental support, compassion and balance feel like, rather than guilt, pressure, rejection and abandonment.

The right to express concerns and emotions openly without fear of being punished or made to feel guilty.

The right to keep my feelings private without having to give a reason.

The right to respect each parent and not be challenged about how I feel.

The right to learn how to communicate effectively and civilly through parental role modeling.

The right to privacy when I'm on the phone with the other parent. The right not to be asked what was discussed either on the phone or when we spent time together.

The right not to report to a parent what is going on in the other parent's life.

The right to parents who ask for help from other adults when they need help, and not turn to me to fix things.

The right to parents who are willing to talk to one another, rather than asking me to act as messenger.

The right to parents who will continue to work at making the best of a difficult situation.

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