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What is the impact of gray divorce on adult children?

by | Jan 29, 2021 |

Gray divorce occurs when you are over the age of 50 and decide to end your marriage. At this age, you may not think that you have to worry about your children as they are probably adults and no longer at home.

However, Next Avenue explains that when parents divorce, it does have an impact on adult children.

Bigger feeling of loss

One of the ways divorce impacts adult children is that it causes a larger sense of loss than they would have felt if your divorce came earlier in their lives. They have more invested in your family as a unit. They might feel confused about the situation as well. Adults tend to look at the situation as the dissolving of their family history.

Less support

You probably are not focusing on your children during your divorce since they are adults. Had you gone through this when they were younger, the chances are you would have provided them with much more support. Not having that support from their parents can enhance the loss, confusion and other feelings that they have during this time.

More anger

Adult children will often assign more blame in a gray divorce situation. They understand more about relationships and marriage. They may know more about your relationship. They also may be angrier about the situation. This can lead them to place a lot of blame on one or both of you, and it can impact your relationships with them.

The takeaway here is that adult children do feel an impact from their parents’ divorce. At the same time, they may require even more attention and information at this time to make it through it.