The unexpected act of the stepfather on the nine years old poor kid. You may remember a happy home and family life that you thought would last forever. Then things changed between you and your ex, seemingly overnight. Maybe you started arguing a lot, and then your ex left the house for good. The divorce uprooted the entire family, including your kids, with a different schedule, two households, and the uncertainty of what tomorrow would bring.
What was once a “normal” life may have evolved into something quite different. And just when things seemed to be settling into a new normal, you met someone. And although you reassured your kids that you were dating and that their dad would always be their dad, you knew that in the back of their minds, they couldn’t help but think, will Mom remarry? Will this new man become my stepfather? What will he be like? Loving and kind, or mean and cruel?
There’s a massive emotional trauma placed upon a family during a divorce, even before the process is finalized. This is especially true for the children involved. Divorce can affect children differently depending on the circumstances and the age of the child. Studies show that young children struggle to understand why they must go between two homes, and they may worry that if their parents can stop loving one another, someday their parents may also stop loving them. Younger children may blame themselves for the divorce, while teenagers can become angry about the marriage’s dissolution and the upheaval in the family.
