Sep 26, 2014

When parents’ divorce while a child is young, it can leave a lasting effect. It can follow children into their adult years. Many people that see counselors will be asked if their parents are still married or if they are a child of divorce. This is due to how common it is to see behaviors and feelings follow the child into adulthood due to the effects of the divorce. Here are some of the lasting effects a child may suffer from a divorce.

Kids and Divorce

While it may not hurt the child at first, it will cause confusion. It can be strenuous and tiring to constantly go to the other parent’s home every weekend. It requires adjustment and will bring new emotions.

Adult Children and Divorce

Since adults are now forming opinions, judging others by their character and choosing who they want in their live, it’s harder to cope with divorcing parents. Children are more naïve to the reason for the divorce and may not want to choose sides. For adult children, you may be judgmental towards one or both parents about the reasons or how to proceed with the relationships with each parent.

Once a parent remarries, the adult child doesn’t want to experience a divorce ever again. It’s scary to wonder if another divorce is in the parent’s future. You may start getting attached to a new step-dad and see real dad less often.

How Divorce Affects Children from Ages 7-20

The lasting effects that children may experience from divorce in this age range include:

• They may feel angry, unloved, and unheard
• They may take the next divorce even harder depending on how close they got to the step-parent
• They will learn that their level of pain tolerance becomes stronger from this life event
• They may experience trust issues, rage, and emotional stress
• They will not understand the true meaning of family since theirs “broke”

While all children will be affected differently, these are common feelings of kids that have a last effect from their parent’s divorce.