Please readThis is a community space for sharing personal experience — it is not legal advice, and posts here are not from Lawma or your attorney. We strongly encourage you to post under an anonymous handle, keep questions general, and avoid posting private details of your active case. For advice about your own situation, message your attorney.

How did you tell your kids you were separating?

CAquietcreek1 month ago

We have a 7-year-old and a 10-year-old. We are about to file and I have no idea how to have the conversation. What helped you?

2 replies

deepwater1 month ago

We did it together, in our living room, on a Friday so they had the weekend. We kept the message short and predictable — "we both love you, this is not your fault, here is what will change and here is what won't." Repeating it for the next week mattered more than the first conversation.

Lawma Moderator1 month ago

Two resources people here have recommended that are not legal advice but might help: the AAML pamphlet for parents and the Sesame Workshop "divorce and family changes" toolkit. Both are free.

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Other things people in your situation usually need to handle. Some are paid partners; some are free community resources — labeled clearly.

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Sesame Workshop — Divorce toolkit

Talking-to-kids resources · Free

Free professional toolkit for explaining family changes to young kids — videos, conversation starters, printable activity sheets.

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Warmlight Therapy

Telehealth therapy · Sliding $40–$160 / session

Sliding-scale, telehealth and in-person. Therapists with experience in divorce, custody, parenting, and trauma.

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OurFamilyWizard

Co-parenting app · $144 / year

Court-accepted shared calendar, expense ledger, and tone-checked messaging for high-conflict co-parenting. Used in 75 countries.

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