Loss
Divorce: Torn between parents

Have you experienced your parents' separation or divorce?
Katti and Judd tell how they handled the fear and confusion.

JUDD: My parents have been divorced since I was six or seven. It was tough for me to get over it. You have to ask, 'What happened?'

KATTI:When I was younger, my father and my mother were not together. It was a short time, but I know how much that hurt.

JUDD: It was a tough part of my life. I didn't understand what was going on.

KATTI: My father was involved in another relationship. It hurt to see him with this other woman. And to have to deal with her kids.

JUDD: My parents said it wasn't my fault, and it was hard for me to believe. What happened here? I kept asking that same question. One parent is here, one parent's there, and I'm having to visit. It takes a while to get used to it.

KATTI: I felt that my father kind of forced me to have two lives. I had my mother, but I also had his girlfriend and these kids. It was so hard. It was confusing, because I was 6 and 7 years old.

JUDD: It was tough. Anything I did I was in the middle.

KATTi: Once my father realized what he was doing, he went for help. He was into alcohol, and he went to rehab. He realized the meaning of our family. My parents did get back together, and we grew and were able to learn.

JUDD: My advice is 'be yourself,' and talk about it. If you think something's wrong in your parents' relationship, let them know how you feel. Ask as many questions as you can. Say something like "Hey, Dad, what's going on?"