I am a child of divorce. i was only 6, and didn't see my father again till i was 8. of course i was in the "first wave" of children in the early 70s. i have strong loving relationships with not only both of my parents, but also a step mother(this took a while to develope) and god rest his soul my stepfather who i adored.

staying in a marriage for the sake of the children is a hard question. i also have 1 child from a previous marriage. i tried to stay in it because i thought marriage should be forever, but he was abusive and i eventually got out. while i did my best to let her form her own feelings and opinions of him, he and his family said horrible things to her about me and worse about my "new"(20 years now) husband. the result was that she now (grown with her own children) calls my husband daddy because in her heart he is, and has no contact with the man she refers to as the sperm donor.

a child will sense that you are not in a happy relationship. but if both parents are committed to the child coming first many children are very happy with parents who share responsibilities and live in seperate homes. while they may want their parents to be together, if you are unhappy they will know, and it will effect them. just remember, the childs safety and happiness comes first, especially when it comes to your personal life. if someone truly loves and accepts you, they will love and accept your child as well.

hope this helps.

lost