My parents are divorced and my dad has also been divorced from my step-mom. The first time I was 7 and the second time I was 17 so both times I was at home witnessing it.

I am extremely glad my parents split up but my dad is also a major jerk. He cheated on my step-mom, drinks at least a 12 pack everyday, smoke pot regularly and also does coke. I think it would have been worse if they would have stayed together and I had to watch them go through the motions. I already have a skewed perception of love and am extremely skeptical when it comes to there being any "good guys" still out there.

Plus, being in abusive relationship myself, my mom has helped me see what that does to women (and men). I think if they were still together she wouldnt be so open with me about it.

I don't really think I ever had the "its my fault" complex that people worry about. My biggest thing was that both my parents are catholic. Their marriage was dissolved so my mom could get married in the catholic church again to my step-dad. I think that had a bigger hit on me than anything.

To get that in the church there has to be extreme circumstances. That really showed me what kind of a person my dad really is knowing that he did stuff bad enough to have their marriage be considered void to the church. So it was necessarily the divorce that hurt me, it was seeing that the man Im supposed to look up to is just like every other jerk guy out there.

I think if the love is gone, kids know. Theyre not stupid. And hiding it is, not only lying to your children, but showing them that you don't think theyre smart enough to pick up on things like that. Theyre very intuitive no matter how young.