Divorce definitely isn’t something that goes unnoticed, regardless of the relationship the spouses had during marriage. Even if it was seemingly “perfect”, it’s still going to impact not only them, but their family members, as well.
And this doesn’t solely refer to the children. Although they have the tendency to suffer the most, extended relatives may also feel the consequences of it. Generally speaking, this isn’t a topic that’s discussed enough.
Yes, you may come across an article from time to time that covers it, but people need to talk about it more because it can have a serious emotional and psychological effect on the overall family relationships.
What Further Complicates Things?
When a person is going through a divorce, they can feel very emotionally detached, and that’s something that will not only affect their relationship with their kids but also with other family members.
What’s the main cause of it? According to this law firm in Monroe, Michigan, which has had thousands of divorce cases, they want to remind you that these people have experienced major stress. They didn’t just lose a partner for whom they believed would be there for the rest of their lives, but they also dealt with legal proceedings, concerns of different types, disappointment, etc.
Sometimes, they deal with kids’ rage, confusion, isolation, and many other negative emotions as well, which then becomes an additional burden to an already difficult emotional and psychological situation.
And then, as a result, they simply withdraw themselves from other family members. That’s not something they do intentionally, but they simply do not have the strength to communicate with them, which isn’t something that’s easily accepted and understood by others.
The Trust Is At Times Lost
If something like deception, or infidelity occurs, then these are the things that can significantly decrease a person’s trust, even to the ones who have done nothing wrong, such as family. Sadly, sometimes, this problem can persist much longer after the divorce is finalized, which can become a serious issue.
Of course, in the beginning, most families will be willing to be understanding and tolerant; however, if no progress is made, then this lack of trust can severely negatively impact the overall family relationships and dynamics, which then can become pretty challenging to repair.
There’s A Shift In Parenting Roles
If there’s miscommunication and/or misunderstanding between the former spouses after divorce, then a shift in parenting roles may arise, meaning that one person becomes the primary caregiver, and becomes maybe even too caring (obsessing over the child), while the other one does the complete opposite, and becomes basically absent.
This change can seriously affect everyone, especially the child, because they aren’t sure what’s going on and what caused this abrupt, major, yet very negative change. Keep in mind that, regardless of how resilient children may be, they will oftentimes need a lot of time to adapt to these types of changes.
It’s no wonder that divorce is one of the most stressful things a person may go through. As you can see, it not only impacts the former spouses but everyone else who is in their inner circle, and unfortunately, that’s often inevitable.