September 3, 2019/by FamilyKind
Our blog this month is written by our very own Richard Heller, a member of our newly formed Adult Children of Divorce Committee (ACOD). Please check out our webpage https://familykind.org/acod-committee
Gray divorce is on the rise and one of the drivers is that empty nesters believe that now that their children are adults, the divorce will impact them less. Nothing could be further from the truth! FamilyKind has created an Adult Children of Divorce committee (ACOD) to study and create educational pieces and support for young adults whose parents are divorcing as well as for their parents.
The fact is that young adults in many ways are more vulnerable than younger children. This is in part due to the perception that they no longer need support. While younger children are viewed as vulnerable and needing assistance in the divorce process, young adults are seen as self managing. Additionally, the young person whose parents are divorcing often finds that their concept of self is coming apart with the divorce. All their lives they thought of their parents as people who work things out despite their differences only to find that their parents’ marriage was a lie being held together for their benefit. In some ways they feel responsible, and their sense of who they are literally starts to come apart at the seams.
Young adults whose parents are divorcing are more likely to abuse drugs, have irresponsible sexual relations, will be more prone to depression and possibly even suicide. Because they are viewed as adults, parents tend to confide in them and complain about one another to their children putting these young adults in the middle which is the last place anyone wants to be in a divorce.
Education, support and programs for young adults and for divorcing empty-nesters are few and far between; the FamilyKind ACOD committee seeks to fill that void with rich resources. In October the ACOD committee is proudly launching our Fall Friendraiser series, with a one-man show by Peter Roccaforte, focusing on the voice of a child of divorce.
Please follow us to learn about important and supportive programming for the Adult Children of Divorce and their Families. https://familykind.org/acod-committee/.
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