Over half divorces include children. Many people tend to believe that broken homes are bad for children, but intact "nuclear families", just because they are together does not mean that those children have an advantage over the children of a broken home. Living in a two parent family with marital problems is more harmful to children than living in a calm peaceful one family home. The best way for a child to adjust to a divorce is for their to be no conflict between the parents.
"Telling children that their parents are separating is one of the most difficult and unhappy events in life." p. 523 Many parents feel guilty when they are getting a divorce because of their children. And many children don't even realize that their parents are unhappy. Children react very differently to divorce, depending on their age. But most feel sad, the only way that the child could feel better is if the parents are competent, and caring. "A meta analysis used earlier divorce studies on the impact of parental divorce on the well being of children in adulthood". p524 The study found that there was very little difference in the well being of children from divorced families and regular two parent families. Also younger children tend to take the divorce harder than older children do. Especially little boys, it probably has to do with the fact that when their parents get divorced the boys tend to go with their mothers. .