By Gary Direnfeld, MSW, RSW

Often when people separate, the one who initiates it has been thinking about it for a long time. As such, at the point of separation, that person is more emotionally detached than the person who is left. It takes the person left behind time to catch up emotionally. The one who did the leaving may be more ready to move on and, in some cases, has moved on before the marriage officially ended.

As for children, they too need time to make the emotional adjustment, which can actually take several years. When a child’s parents separate, the child usually harbours the secret wish that their parents will reunite. Some children carry that wish into their adulthood.

Read more here:
http://www.thespec.com/living-story/4922720-children-can-take-years-to-adjust-to-parent-s-split/

You can find Gary here:

www.yoursocialworker.com
https://www.facebook.com/GaryDirenfeldSocialWorker