Why Gwen Stefani's Ex Wears Wedding Ring 'For the Kids'

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There’s a reason Gwen Stefani’s ex-husband, Gavin Rossdale, is still wearing his wedding band, even though Stefani, is openly dating Blake Sheldon, her fellow coach on The Voice. ”He wears it for the kids because it makes them feel good,“ an insider told People on Monday.

“There is an ongoing conversation with the boys to make sure they are as happy and comfortable as possible,” another source told People in October. “To both Gwen and Gavin, the boys are their number one priority and concern.“

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Stefani, 46, filed for divorce in August after 13 years of marriage, citing "irreconcilable differences” and asking for joint custody of the couple’s three sons: Kingston, 9; Zuma, 6; and 20-month-old Apollo.

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Rossdale, 50, isn’t the only celebrity to continue wearing a wedding ring after a divorce. Ben Affleck was seen wearing his for weeks after his 10-year-marriage to Jennifer Garner ended.

But does this gesture make divorce a smoother transition for kids or harder for them to process their parents’ marriage ending? And why do some former spouses continue to wear the ring post-divorce?

“Instead of it representing the marriage, the ring may represent the family to him,” clinical psychologist Elizabeth Lombardo tells Yahoo Parenting of Rossdale. “It may be saying, ‘We’re still a family, even if we’re not married.’ I also had clients who kept wearing their wedding rings even though the marriage was over because they felt uncomfortable and naked without it.”

Lombardo says it’s possible that seeing a parent continuing to wear a wedding ring may be a source of comfort for kids during the upheaval of divorce. But in some cases, it can send a confusing signal. “It’s almost always a child’s fantasy that their parents are going to get back together,” says Lombardo. “Your child may ask, ‘Does that mean you’re getting back together with Mommy?’ So you may need to have that conversation with your kids that no, the ring represents our family.”

Adds Lombardo: “Or maybe [Rossdale] is hoping they’ll get back together.”

(Photo: FameFlynet)

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