Divorce is certainly nothing new, but being commonplace doesn't make it any easier to handle. My parents would be the first to admit that their marriage was far from perfect when I was growing up, but they got some help and managed to stay together. I don't recall ever feeling unsure about the stability of their marriage, so I can't even imagine what it must be like for kids who have endured the divorce of their parents.
I sometimes remind myself that not having such stability has surely affected my stepkids. At this stage of their lives, they may not have the vocabulary or the emotional maturity to verbally express their feelings about that, but I'm certain that the effects manifest in one form or another.
Unless you are a child of divorce, you can only guess what your stepkids are going through. But you don't have to understand all about it in order to be sensitive to their problems. Once the kids are old enough and your relationship with them reaches the point where they will confide in you, perhaps you can frankly discuss how they were affected and why they behaved the way they did. Until then, perhaps it is enough to adjust your expectations and remember that they did not have the advantages of a happy home life.
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