What happens when your children grow into adults...and then get divorced

When you are going through a divorce there is no shortage of books, articles, websites, stories, movies, etc. dealing with every aspect of the experience. But what happens when it is one of your grown children who is getting divorced? You are involved, but you are not. If there are grandchildren, you have an incredible amount at emotional stake but little say in how things work out. You might have helped your child and their estranged spouse with their finances or even buy their house. Your kids will expect you to see their side of it exclusively, which might be easy or it might not.

Given the number of divorces in this country and since just about every divorced person has at least one parent, it a large, untapped market. One book that addresses the subject is "Your Child's Divorce: What to Expect...What You Can Do." The author, Marsha Temlock, a retired family counselor, went through the experience five years ago when one of her sons got divorced.

She told the New York Times that she went through a stage of guilt and self-flagellation during the break-up of her son’s marriage. She also said that trying to fix or rescue the marriage or wallowing in guilt or pain can make matters worse.

Hopefully it will never happen to you but odds are that it will happen to many of the people who read this post.

Amazon link: Your Child's Divorce: What to Expect...What You Can Do