Parental separation is one of the many challenges that young people can experience during their life.
We might experience our parents separating during childhood, adolescence or in early adulthood. Regardless of when it happens, parental separation can bring up many difficult feelings and every person will experience it differently.
You may experience some of the following:
- Sadness. When circumstances change in our parent’s relationship, this can lead to feelings of sadness. When we feel sad, we might notice a change in our mood, and we may not enjoy the things we usually get joy from.
- Confusion. We may feel confused about what is happening in our family. We may feel like we are stuck in the middle of things at times or uncertain about what will happen in our future.
- Guilt. At times we may feel guilty about the feelings we experience and thoughts we have about the separation.
- Relief. We might feel a sense of relief when our parents come to an agreement about what will happen next.
- Anger. We could feel angry about what is happening in our family and how things have changed.
- Blame. Sometimes when we are trying to understand what is happening, we may blame ourselves or others.
- Loss. We may feel loss for how our family has changed.
Remember that parents choose to separate for many different reasons that are to do with their relationship. It is not your fault.
