How to separate without hurting the children

Sir Nicholas Wall, Britain's most senior family judge, warned this week that parents are harming children during divorce proceedings , by using them as "the battlefield, [and] the ammunition". At a speech to the charity Families Need Fathers in Coventry on Sunday, Sir Nicholas, who is president of the Family Division of the High Court, said: "parents simply do not realise the damage they do to their children by the battles they wage over them." "People think that post-separation parenting is easy. In fact it is exceedingly difficult, and as a rule of thumb my experience is that the more intelligent the parent, the more intractable the dispute." All of those who have gone through separation know how hard a process it can be for everyone involved, but how can parents ensure that it is as painless for children as possible? And how can you avoid lasting damage? We would like to hear about your personal experiences of separation, especially if you feel you've made it work, and from both a parent or child perspective. Email your stories with "Separation" in the subject line to [email protected] , including your full name and a daytime contact number, and we will print a selection in G2.