How To Deal With Your Parents' Divorce As An Adult

As an adult, it can be very difficult to deal with parents who are getting a divorce, as it can be tough to understand how two people could be together for so long before deciding to split up, and as it can call into question the permanence of relationships as a whole. While there will still be a measure of pain and frustration present no matter what you do, there are a few things you can do as an adult whose parents are getting a divorce that can make it a little bit easier to deal with.

When you were a child, it is unlikely that either of your parents ever came to you with their marital problems, as they knew it was not your job to be the confidant, but now that you are an adult, it can be natural for them to think of you as someone in whom they can confide; while it will be good for your parents to be able to express their thoughts and pains to someone, you should not allow yourself to be this person, as it will be important for you to not get involved.

Understand more about children and divorce.

When you keep yourself from getting involved in the problems your parents are facing, it will help you to not judge one or the other of your parents—and this will be important, as you will want to still maintain a relationship with your parents even after the split is finalized.

And if you want to still have a relationship with each of your parents - even after a divorce - one of the big things you will need to make sure you do is to see each of your parents for the person they are, instead of for the action (or actions) they did.

While none of these steps will completely eradicate the pain and frustration of watching your parents split after so long together, these things will make it easier for you to maintain a good relationship with each of your parents throughout all of it, and will help you come through on the other side with the pain and frustration minimized.