Adult children of divorced parents

[ConcordeSkyHigh]

I'm reading a book at the moment with this title. My parents divorced when I was 18. They were unhappily married for sometime, so it wasn't a surprise, although still a shock. I was away at university for most of it.

I wanted to read the book to see if any things in there related to or resonated with what I felt at the time, as I'm not even sure what I felt.

I think there was a definite sadness that my family or ideal of family was 'gone'. I felt like I was broken. That was elevated by the fact that I knew the truth - it wasn't a single event, but a whole mess over several years. 'My parents are divorced' barely felt adequate.

The other thing was just the not knowing, or not being able to see what the new family life might look like.

That's about as far as I've got. I might just post more here and read it over at the end of the book.

Yes my parents divorced at the end of my childhood too (sixth form age). It was weird because I had SO much going on at the time, and my family
dynamic completely changed, I went from having very strict parents to suddenly a lot of freedom, the reigns just went. Coincide that with drinking, A levels and birth control and honestly I was a mess. As an adult I find the divorce increasingly difficult, life would be so much simpler for me with my own children if I just had my mum and dad together, even though selfishly I know they’re a bad match. Nothing I can do about it but be a bit resentful, especially as the support for my mum especially has landed firmly on me (they split decades ago!)

Dont underestimate divorce folks, it has a really long lasting effect, and my parents were pretty amicable.

Thanks for sharing @saqiatf . I had a similar experience of being left to get on with stuff.

It is quite challenging emotionally and practically I'll agree and likewise mine have been amicable over the years.

That's an interesting point about supporting a parent landing on you.