Telling the children

[Bellabluea]

Looking for some advice basically.
DH and I are separating after 18 years and tomorrow we are telling the children. They’re 6, 7 and 15.
I feel like it’ll be a shock to them as we get on fine but it’s become more of a brother-sister relationship than a marriage and quite simply, we’re not in love anymore.
It’s very amicable and I’ve told him he’s always welcome here, to pop in after work and put them to bed etc... hopefully it’s as ‘nice’ a separation as is possible.
But it’s breaking my heart that I’m about to shatter their little world.
Need some hand-holding and advice on how to break it to them gently.

Thanks.

[Startoftheyear2018]

I'm so sorry, it's such a tough thing. Good luck. I'd say be honest, keep it short, tell them all together and tell them that you both love them 🌺

[Penyu]

I agree with the advice above.
But the 6&7 year olds will probably need support on a different level to the 15yo depending on the level of maturity of the teenager.
For example, they may be worried that there is another party involved and need reassurance in That department.
Teenager will want to know how this will affect them... will the new financial situation mean tightening the belt in terms of hobbies etc?
This was probably the hardest conversation I ever had with anyone... telling my 9yo. But as the adults the in the situation you can dictate how the conversation goes and control the situation.
Lots of reassurance, and hopefully some practical ideas of how things will be handled (living arrangements etc) will help too.
Good luck.

[Bellabluea]

Thanks for the advice!
It went better than I expected. The little ones were great, the teenager was shocked but the next day said as long as I was happy then she was.

Phew.

Moving out day tomorrow but I’ve arranged to have their friends sleepover as a nice distraction.