I left my husband when my child was six months old. He had a girlfriend that he refused to give up. If I would have chosen wisely, I would never have been in that position. All the signs were there beforehand, but I kept thinking if I was just “better,” he would be nicer to me. I thought that since my son never lived in a household with two parents that he would just accept as “normal” living with a single mother. Not so. School functions, activities and invitations all screamed to him: “Only one parent in the household! I am different! Something must be wrong with me!”
As an adult, he still feels he does not have a real place to call home. For 18 years of his life, he spent every other weekend and several weeks throughout the year with his father. He knew many children of divorced families, so I thought he could adjust easily. I was so wrong. Just because everyone else seems to be going through the same thing, it doesn’t change how conflicted and unstable a child may feel.
I recommend all families in this situation watch the movie “What Maisie Knew.” It’s a story told through the eyes of a child whose parents are going through a divorce. It’s quite heartbreaking.
Terri
The REAL Emotional Toll on Children of Divorce
The Dr. Laura Call of the Day Podcast
