Post-divorce life, Part 4

Be sure that you have adult friendships and activities so that you’re not depending on the children for support. Divorce reminds you how much you and your ex depended on each other, so you need to diversify so that you don’t make your kids uncomfortable while you sulk. The kids have enough of their own issues in divorce. They don’t need to help you with yours. The airplane safety announcement doesn’t say to children, “Put your mask on before helping your parents with theirs.” It’s the other way around, and well it should be. This point may be hard to enforce in a written agreement—“Mom (Dad) must make X number of friends”—but the idea should be agreed in principle up front.