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When divorce is actually better for the kids

On Behalf of | Apr 13, 2015 | Divorce Mediation |

This weekend, there was a “Dear Abby” letter from a woman who had feelings of resentment and anger toward her husband arise after fighting a serious health battle. (You can read the entire column here.)

Ultimately, the woman said she was very unhappy with her marriage but was willing to stay in the marriage and pretend to be happy with her husband for the sake of her children. She said she really wanted her children to have the two-parent upbringing that both she and her husband missed out on.

However, in her response to the woman, Jeanne Phillips, one of the co-creators of the advice column “Dear Abby,” pointed out that it could actually be a disservice to the children to “fake” happiness in the marriage. She suggested that the woman try to work with her husband to save the marriage since she felt so strongly about staying together for the children, but she added that an amicable divorce might be the best option.

This is a situation that many mothers find themselves in. They are unhappy in their marriage, but are reluctant to end the marriage because they want the best for their children. However, as the Dear Abby column pointed out, staying in a marriage for the sake of the children sometimes isn’t even in the children’s best interests.

As a recent article from The Huffington Post points out, sometimes divorce is actually better for the children if it means that they will be less exposed to conflict and their parents will be happier. Children can also benefit from watching their parents work through the issues of their divorce and co-parent together by learning the importance of compromise and co-operation, the article said.

But as the Dear Abby column and Huffington Post article point out, an amicable divorce is essential. One way to reach an amicable divorce is through mediation, an alternative dispute resolution process. To find out more about mediation and uncontested divorce, check out this article on our website.

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