Family Resources: Kids, Q & A

Questions that a lot of kids have about separation and divorce.

A. Sometimes parents fall out of love with each other for reasons no one else understands. They may like different things and want to do different things from each other. Because of this, they begin to argue, which makes everyone unhappy. They may decide that they would be happier if they weren’t together anymore. One important thing to remember: parents NEVER stop loving their children.

A. No. Separation and divorce are never the child’s fault. Separation is something that happens between two adults and it is not because of anything that someone else did.

A. Yes they do. Ask them, and they will tell you. The separation was not your fault, and your parents are not angry with you.

A. Your parents will still take care of you. They will probably decide to live in separate places, which means that you may live with just one parent, or you may live with one parent sometimes, and with the other parent at other times. If you get confused, ask your parents to help you. Maybe you can figure out a way to make the schedule easier.

A. No. You may think that if you are good, your parents will stop being mad. This is not true. Keeping your room clean won’t bring them back together. Trying to get along with your brother or sister won’t bring them back together. It is their decision, and whether you are good OR bad does not influence their decision to divorce.

A. You can leave the room. You can ask them not to fight in front of you. You can go to your room and shut the door. You can write them a letter and tell them how much it hurts you when they argue with each other. You can go to someone else’s house (ask permission first, though). You can turn on the TV and try not to listen to them.