When older Minnesota couples decide to get a divorce, it can be easy to forget to take your adult children into consideration. While some couples believe that adult children can handle divorce just fine, that isn’t always the case. In fact, they may take it even worse than younger children.
Mic discusses things that no one tells you about being an adult child of a divorcing couple. For example, many adult children find themselves in a difficult situation in which parents believe them old enough to “rely on”, and thus lean on them for emotional support during the split. They may unload personal information or emotional vents that a child of any age, adult or not, may simply not be ready to shoulder.
Additionally, adults may have a more difficult time adjusting to the period of change that follows a divorce. While younger children have a little more flexibility and more time to recover from the emotional loss, adult children have lived through all of their formative years with both parents. Even after growing up and moving away, familial ties can be a big source of comfort. Taking that away can leave some adult children feeling adrift and anxious.
If you have adult children and are getting a divorce, it is important to consider how they fit into the equation. Remember that even adult children are still your children and likely don’t want to be privy to the personal details of the divorce itself. Understand that they are not an attorney or a therapist and cannot help with everything.