Imagine all the emotions adults go through in divorce: grieving, fear, anger, depression, and so many more. Children go through every one of them too when their parents divorce. This page is all about what your kids go through in divorce.
When I talk to adults going through divorce, I sometimes ask them to write down what they’re feeling. When they choose to share with me what they’ve written, here are some of the things they mention:
- Fear
- Anger
- Grief
- Anger
- Depression
- Elation
- Worries about physical concerns
- Shame
- Hopes for reconciliation
- Sadness
- Financial trouble
- Anticipation
- Anxiety
- Relief
- Embarrassment
- Self-blame
- Abandonment
Now you already know: children often go through exactly the same set of emotions and experiences. The difference is that they often have less information about why this is happening. This means the experience can be more tender, more traumatic, and generally more difficult for them.
There’s a separate page on things you can do to help your children through divorce. This page is about what to expect them to go through.
In addition to the general experiences above, you can select one or more of these pages to read more about helping children through divorce.
- Helping Your Children Through Divorce
- Your Parenting Plan
- Parenting Issues
- Children and Divorce – What to Expect
- Preschoolers – What to Expect
- Elementary Age Children – What to Expect
- Adolescents – What to Expect
- Child Support
- Collecting Child Support
- Custody Questions
- Tough Words About Kids
- Depression in Children
- Parental Alienation Syndrome
- Adult Children