The holiday season is now upon us, which means the awkward family dynamic that comes with divorce will come into play at some point in the next month. We spotted this article that completely reflects this reality. The writer, a child of divorce, discusses how she and others handle balancing visiting their divorced parents separately — a situation that has become more and more common nowadays.
It's a helpful read for those newly separated from home, like college kids, trying to figure out how to approach their parents, or those on the other side of the divide. Throughout the post, it's very clear that while there will usually be tension in the air — especially for newly divorced parents — in the end the best solution for everyone, both logistically and soulfully, is to find a peaceful resolution. If not, the result could be a holiday season alone, something most people find an undesirable alternative to even the loudest family get together.
"I asked other children of divorce about their post-separation Thanksgivings, and most of them reported having experiences similar to mine," she writes. "Most can't recall ever spending the holidays with both their parents post-split; one colleague lamented having to choose among three families (one of which is his girlfriend's), who all live very far away from one another.
And for some, the thought of sharing a Thanksgiving meal with both parents at the same time would never even cross their mind: "That would be very weird," in the assessment of one friend.
For more:
Giving Thanks After a Split (Huffington Post)