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“Children of divorce.” That’s the phrase you hear. Not “Adults of divorce.” It’s more common for people to get divorced when their kids are still in fact kids because the parenting process can be the very thing that drives couples apart. So if you find out that a couple is divorcing long after their children have grown up, left for college, and perhaps even had kids of their own you might think, “Huh? Why? You’ve made it this far?” But it happens. In fact, couples age 50 and older are more likely to divorce today than they were 20 years ago. If it happens to your parents, it can be a very odd experience. You may not know what to feel. It’s not like you live with your parents anymore and expect to have dinner as a family unit each night. It’s not like you’re still young and malleable, and your parents’ divorce could ruin your idea of love. But it still hurts. Here’s what to expect when your parents divorce late in life.
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They’ll tell you a lot about it
When you’re a child, your mom and dad aren’t going to run to you for emotional support during their divorce. They’re going to work on shielding you from as much of the dispute as possible. But when you’re an adult, your parents may call you to talk about their divorce, just as a friend might call you to talk about a breakup.
