Guides for Every Season of Family Life

Telling Your Children You're Getting Divorced
A Practical Guide for Parents

Few conversations feel as heavy as telling your children that you're separating. If you're wondering when to do it, what to say, and how to handle the questions that follow, this guide offers a calm, practical place to start.

Written by Jennifer Turkcan, MSW, RSW, MSEd, OCT, of Lalu Therapy, this 10-page guide walks you through the conversation step by step, in clear and gentle language.

Inside, you'll find:

• Five guiding ideas to come back to when emotions run high

• A preparation checklist, covering timing, place, and planning together

• Six core messages children often need to hear, and what to leave out

• A step-by-step conversation flow, with sample words you can adapt

• Notes on what may help at different ages and stages

• Ideas for the days and weeks that follow

• Possible responses to tough questions, such as "Is it my fault?"

• A page to write down your own key sentences, plus Canadian support resources

Every family is different, so take what fits and leave what doesn't.