Families and Change Your family is changing, but you’ll be ok.

A divorced family is still a family

“Family” means different things to different people. For example, a “family” to you might mean a mom and a dad who are living together or have lived together and have kids. In other cases, a family may have two moms or two dads, or may include a mix of two families who came together and now live as one. Your parents might be married or they may not be married and are living as a “common-law” couple. You may have a family with just one parent, or may be raised by a grandparent, a foster parent, or another guardian. No two families are exactly the same. They are all different and special in their own way. Yours is special too.

Families may change when parents decide to separate or divorce, but they are still families, and are still special. If you are young person living in Newfoundland and Labrador and your parents are going through a separation or divorce, this website is for you. Just because your parents are choosing to separate or divorce does not mean they are divorcing or separating from you. It just means that your family is changing.

Separation and divorce can be very hard on families, and for young people in particular. There is often a lot of uncertainty and many questions about why and how things are changing. You’ll find information here to help you better understand some of the legal words or phrases that may be mentioned by your parents or other people, feelings you may be experiencing, as well as information about help in your community for young people like yourself.

You might feel sad, angry or confused (or experience all those feelings plus many more) because your parents will no longer be living together. But remember that your parents will ALWAYS be your parents and love you, whether they are together or not. Sometimes you may feel like you are the only one in the world going through this. You are not alone. Lots of young people have gone through the same thing that you are going through now.

If you don’t understand all of the words or explanations on this site, please go to an adult you trust and ask them for help in using this site.