My 5yo asked me this morning and I froze. How the hell are you supposed to explain divorce to a kindergartener? I just said mommy and daddy love you very much but we're living in different houses now. My lawyer said don't badmouth the other parent but I'm worried I'm handling this all wrong. Any advice from guys who've been through this?
Been there. Hardest conversation I've ever had. What helped us was being a united front even though we weren't together anymore. We sat down together and told them that sometimes grown ups decide it's better to not be married but we both still want to be their parents. They'll ask follow up questions over time and that's okay.
Man, that's tough. I went through this with my two and honestly the best thing I did was keep it simple and honest. Just told them that mommy and daddy love them very much but we're not going to be married anymore. They don't need all the details, just the reassurance that both parents still love them and nothing is their fault. Took a few conversations but they settled down.
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The freezing is totally normal. I'd recommend keeping it age appropriate and short. Your 5yo doesn't need to understand the whole situation, just that both of you love her and that won't change. Kids are more resilient than we think. What matters most is consistency and showing up.