My parents are spltting up. What now?!

ThAshleyChannel

That one person
Just what the title says, my mom and dad are leaving each other and I'm not sure what to do about it, I'm scared for the future.

I'm almost 18, soon to be on my own, so I suppose I shouldn't be too scared of this, but I'm only 16 right now and I'll be 17 in a week. I'm not sure who to go with, my mom or dad.

So many things going through my head right now, I'm not sure what to do. I'm so scared. Any advice?
 
I'd give advice, but my parents split when I was only like 6, so I didn't really understand what it was at the time and it quickly became normality to me. I'd definitely advise going with your mom though-- moms generally know the needs of kids a lot better than the dads. Also, your parents will inevitably start seeing other people, so you'll need to mentally prepare yourself for that (getting used to strangers in the house and talking to them).
 
Yeah, I was thinking of sticking with my mom anyways, she'll need all the help she can get, meanwhile my dad is smart, he can live on his own. I don't think my mom would meet new people, probably though.

It get's pretty awkward when I'm around new people, but I guess I'll have to deal with it for one more year until I move into my own apartment.
 
I would suggest sticking with the one whos been there for you more. In the real world (sexist or not) its generally the mother. Its not always that way, but the mother is the one who stays with the baby when theyre born, and they are more often the ones that stick with the baby while the father goes out and provides for the family. And you should also consider who would need you more, too. My parents split when I was seven. We stayed with my mom, and Im glad we did. I have no idea how life would have turned out if we had stayed with our father. He loved us and all, but he dealt with addiction problems, and he was not someone who could show affection, and he was in no way tender or gentle. There are of course plenty of males who do have this side to them. But not my father.

Also, Crescent Moon Villager brings up a good point, they will probly date other people, and that part is not easy to deal with at all, at least it wasnt for me. Luckily, youre pretty grown up, so it wont be so bad for you now. But theres still the very uncomfortable feeling of having to deal with their new "partners", its not a pleasant experience. But, try to be accepting anyways, because refusing to do so will only turn them against you. Hopefully, the people they get with will be good people, and will be respectful of you. If they arent, you can try talking to your parents about them, and hopefully theyll listen to you. Luckily, my mother was good with this, and did not let her boyfriends treat us rudely. (there were still a few who caused some serious issues, though. Many of my worst memories as a child come from the guys she was with after my father left)

And dont let yourself take sides against the other parent. In my case, it was my father that was in the wrong, but I still love him and hope he does okay. My mother never turned us against him, though when we would talk to our father, he would try to do this on occasion. I would disagree with him respectfully, and make sure he knew that I loved both my mother and my father, and I didnt want to make any divide between them.
 
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I'm afraid I don't have to say about most of this; I haven't had to go through this myself, and I do not know which parent would be better to choose (I would guess that it's more often the mother, as they said). I'd say these two both gave great advice. However, on the note of them dating other people: When my grandma died, my grandpa started seeing another elderly woman he met and connected with. Initially, I didn't like the idea at all. It just didn't feel right. But I knew she made him happy, so I knew it wasn't right to object. And as time went on, I've opened up to her, and she's a great lady. To put it simply, if they start seeing other people, just try to give them a chance. If they're genuinely an awful person, don't feel like you have to ignore that. But if it's just the principle of the thing that bothers you, and it's not anything wrong with the people themselves, try to see past that and give the person a chance.
 
First, I’m sorry to hear you have to go through this. I was around your age when my parents split up. Unfortunately, there are a lot of unpredictable factors (such as step parents and/or step siblings, moving out of town/out of state, etc.) that could make it all the more difficult. Since you already have a gut feeling, follow it; more often than not, your instincts will serve you well. If you feel like staying with your mom, stay with her. Maybe in the future this will change, but at least, for now, you’ll be making the decision that feels most natural to you.


Just a word of advice: try not to let your parents pit you against the other. This is about their relationship ending. Don’t let them use you as a tool to hurt each other.
 
That's a huge relief. I know how badly the divorce of parents can affect people, even when they're adults themselves. I'm glad that everything seems fine now.
 
Yeah, they are back together and hopefully it'll last forever. It would have been hard to pick a side on who which to stay with, so I picked my mom. But after a few days things started to settle down and they said they'll stay together.

I did treat them as best as I could, I'm glad I did.
 
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