Parents Divorcing
The biggest, most frightening question when your parents are divorcing is often "What's going to happen to me?" This section tries to answer that by giving you an idea of what life post divorce may be like, as well as for the process of getting divorced.
The subjects covered in this section fall into three main categories: dealing with divorce, the divorce process, and miscellaneous. Some popular articles in this section include the Q & A and General Advice, which cover a little bit of everything, Divorce 101, which is an explanation of the process of divorce, Custody, which explains how the courts decide which parent you'll live with, and Coping with Divorce, which has advice on how to deal with the emotional pain divorce can cause.
The subjects covered in this section fall into three main categories: dealing with divorce, the divorce process, and miscellaneous. Some popular articles in this section include the Q & A and General Advice, which cover a little bit of everything, Divorce 101, which is an explanation of the process of divorce, Custody, which explains how the courts decide which parent you'll live with, and Coping with Divorce, which has advice on how to deal with the emotional pain divorce can cause.
Dealing with Divorce
|
The Divorce Process Explained
|
Miscellaneous
|
Still don't know where to start? See if any of the questions below fit your situation...
Q: I don't understand how divorce works. Could you help me?
A: Visit Divorce 101 to learn about the stages of divorce. If you don't know some of the vocabulary dealing with divorce, like custody and alimony, try visiting the Vocabulary of Divorce page first.
Q: Do you have any basic advice about dealing with divorce?
A: The General Advice page includes the advice that applies to most every circumstance of divorce. You can think of it kind of like the getting started page.
Q: Do I have any rights during my parents' divorce?
A: You do, although perhaps not many legal rights as a minor. To find out more about them visit Your Rights as a Teen.
Q: Why can't I decide which parent I'll live with?
A: While your wishes are taken into consideration, the final decision is made by a judge. To find out how judges decide which parent will have custody of you (if not both), read the page on Custody.
Q: With my parents divorcing, I'm really stressed out. How can I deal with it?
A: There are lots of different ways to deal with stress. Check out the Coping with Divorce page for ideas that can help you.
Q: What are the stages of grief?
A: After a big change like divorce, it's normal to feel sadness, even anger and grief. Knowing about the Stages of Grief may give you an idea of what to expect.
Q: Do you have any examples of life after parents divorce?
(Could also be known as: What makes you qualified to write this?)
A: Only my own. But if you're interested, My Divorce Story covers my own experience with divorced parents. (Spoiler Alert: There is a happy ending.) Also, for information about moving on to college after divorce, visit the Moving On page. And finally, since I realize that one person's point of view is not enough, I made a Perspectives page with videos about how other teens dealt with divorce.
Q: I'm dealing with bigger issues than just divorce and I'm in a crisis. What do I do?
A: SOS provides resources for those dealing with abuse, depression, thoughts of suicide, and any crisis. Read the page to get free anonymous help now.
Q: I couldn't find my question here - do you have any more questions and answers?
A: Yes, I do. In fact, I have a whole page full of questions that myself and other teens wish we'd known the answers to when our own parents were divorcing. Read them in the Q&A section.
Q: I'm not from the United States. Do you have advice for my country?
A: Most of the resources here should still apply to you, but information about the court system will not. If your country speaks English, Regional Resources should have information for your area.
Q: Where can I find more information?
A: Try the Links page to find more resources and learn where I got this advice from. For an idea of what may come next, you might also want to check out the "Parents Divorced" category.
Q: I have comments or suggestions - where can I leave them?
A: I'm always looking for constructive comments about the website. After all, I'm a college student working on this in my free time and I realize it's far from perfect. So if you want to give feedback or ask questions I left out, there's a way to Contact Me.
Q: Why did you make this website?
A: It's a long answer, but for the essentials of it, check out "The Website" for more information.
Q: Are you still updating the website?
A: Yes, I am. I keep a log of those changes in the What's New? page, so when you visit again, you can see if I've updated it with answers to any other questions you may have had.
Disclaimer: The advice given here may not be completely accurate, and it may not apply to everyone. I am not a professional.If you are in the need of professional advice, either psychological or legal in nature, seek help elsewhere. If you are in an immediate crisis, call 9-1-1.
A: Visit Divorce 101 to learn about the stages of divorce. If you don't know some of the vocabulary dealing with divorce, like custody and alimony, try visiting the Vocabulary of Divorce page first.
Q: Do you have any basic advice about dealing with divorce?
A: The General Advice page includes the advice that applies to most every circumstance of divorce. You can think of it kind of like the getting started page.
Q: Do I have any rights during my parents' divorce?
A: You do, although perhaps not many legal rights as a minor. To find out more about them visit Your Rights as a Teen.
Q: Why can't I decide which parent I'll live with?
A: While your wishes are taken into consideration, the final decision is made by a judge. To find out how judges decide which parent will have custody of you (if not both), read the page on Custody.
Q: With my parents divorcing, I'm really stressed out. How can I deal with it?
A: There are lots of different ways to deal with stress. Check out the Coping with Divorce page for ideas that can help you.
Q: What are the stages of grief?
A: After a big change like divorce, it's normal to feel sadness, even anger and grief. Knowing about the Stages of Grief may give you an idea of what to expect.
Q: Do you have any examples of life after parents divorce?
(Could also be known as: What makes you qualified to write this?)
A: Only my own. But if you're interested, My Divorce Story covers my own experience with divorced parents. (Spoiler Alert: There is a happy ending.) Also, for information about moving on to college after divorce, visit the Moving On page. And finally, since I realize that one person's point of view is not enough, I made a Perspectives page with videos about how other teens dealt with divorce.
Q: I'm dealing with bigger issues than just divorce and I'm in a crisis. What do I do?
A: SOS provides resources for those dealing with abuse, depression, thoughts of suicide, and any crisis. Read the page to get free anonymous help now.
Q: I couldn't find my question here - do you have any more questions and answers?
A: Yes, I do. In fact, I have a whole page full of questions that myself and other teens wish we'd known the answers to when our own parents were divorcing. Read them in the Q&A section.
Q: I'm not from the United States. Do you have advice for my country?
A: Most of the resources here should still apply to you, but information about the court system will not. If your country speaks English, Regional Resources should have information for your area.
Q: Where can I find more information?
A: Try the Links page to find more resources and learn where I got this advice from. For an idea of what may come next, you might also want to check out the "Parents Divorced" category.
Q: I have comments or suggestions - where can I leave them?
A: I'm always looking for constructive comments about the website. After all, I'm a college student working on this in my free time and I realize it's far from perfect. So if you want to give feedback or ask questions I left out, there's a way to Contact Me.
Q: Why did you make this website?
A: It's a long answer, but for the essentials of it, check out "The Website" for more information.
Q: Are you still updating the website?
A: Yes, I am. I keep a log of those changes in the What's New? page, so when you visit again, you can see if I've updated it with answers to any other questions you may have had.
Disclaimer: The advice given here may not be completely accurate, and it may not apply to everyone. I am not a professional.If you are in the need of professional advice, either psychological or legal in nature, seek help elsewhere. If you are in an immediate crisis, call 9-1-1.