Your Life Will Change

There are going to be LOTS of changes in your life after the divorce. You will experience the emotions mentioned in the section Your Feelings and you will have to deal with them.
Their are stages you need to work through: These are:

1. Acknowledging the Divorce or Separation is going to happen
2. Regaining your sense of direction and pursuing you own hobbies and activities.
3. Dealing with the loss and feelings of rejection
4. Forgiving your parents and working through the anger you feel towards one or both of them
5. Accepting the permanence of the divorce and acknowledging that wishing can't undo what has happened

Uncontrollable Bad Effects

There are going to be effects from the divorce and these are hard if not impossible to control. Money, or lack of it, becomes a problem. Child support payments and financial assistance place a strain on one or both parents, which directly affects you. Sometimes, one parent needs to move, perhaps out of the immediate area. This brings a new set of problems, as you may have to adjust to new schools and make new friends.

Added Stressors
As well, there will be other stresses that you will have to deal with. These are:

* the amount of involvement with the parent you don't live with
* the parent you live with's ease in adjusting to the divorce
* parenting skills of both parents, agreement between them on issues relating to you
* approval and love from both parents
* openness to discussing the divorce with parents
* degree of conflict between parents
* economic hardship
* moving, changing schools, parental remarriage