According to the Pew Research Center, in 2013, four out of ten new marriages included one partner who had been married before, and two out of every ten new marriages were between people who had both been previously married. In many of these marriages, children from previous relationships are involved.

Creating a blended family means everyone’s roles shift. It may take time for one family to get used to living with another one, even if they all got along before.

Even the experts have trouble agreeing, but the divorce rate for first marriages is believed to be between 36% and 42%.

As a Family Law Attorney, I see families at all of the different stages of the divorce process. Ending an unsatisfactory relationship isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but there is denying that it affects every family member.

During the divorce, parents must act responsibly—make children feel involved in key decisions throughout the process and not expose children to adult disagreements. Uncertainty about the future and being exposed to the constant conflict are what’s most damaging for children, not the fact of divorce itself.