st all children feel angry after the divorce. Children often feel neglected as parents tend to their own problems throughout the process of the divorce. Depending on the stage of life a child is in at the time of parental divorce, their reactions can vary, but every child experiences confusion and betrayal (Clarke-Stewart, A., & Brentano, C., 2007).
During the first stage of infant through preschool, a child is able to sense anger and tension even though they may not fully grasp what is going on when parents divorce. There are many changes that can occur during this age and stage of life, and divorce often elicits a more regressive response. Some of the more common regressions to occur are changes in eating, sleeping and possibly even the toilet training routine. The child tends to become much more clingy, whiny and irritable. More aggressive behaviors toward the parent are also observed. The child becomes much more fearful of being abandoned, along with being fearful that if one parent has left the other may possibly leave as well. Additionally, the child may feel guilty or responsible for the divorce, as if it were their own fault. Although children at this stage are too young to fully understand divorce, there are still many difficult changes that impact the child’s life (Robin, E., 2009; Clarke-Stewart, A., & Brentano, C., 2007; Pickhardt, C. E., 2011).
In the next stage of life, which includes school-aged children ranging from six to eleven years of age, divorce t...