I think as long as the family isn’t fighting it can’t be anything but a positive for the kids.

If the family and situation is stable, it’s just different, not bad. Similar dynamic to having cousins and extended family.

The unhealthy stuff for kids is badmouthing the other parent, losing status and financial stability, or never seeing one of the parents after the divorce.

It’s good and healthy if everyone can be in a decent mood when spending time together. My relationship with my ex husband got so much better once we stopped living together. We do a weekly dinner together with the kids, and some non-travel holiday meals. We’ve also done some ski weekends but not a longer vacation - that seems a bridge too far.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know someone who ended up with a younger sibling this way. The parents did not reconcile/get remarried to each other. Just had a moment of weakness on the vacation.

Seems like most of my divorced friends still bang their exes regularly. Weird to me but human nature is what it is I guess, until the next best thing comes along. In one case it reignited a real relationship that has been sexless before.

You must run in v different circles than I. Im divorced and couldnt imagine a situation in which Id want to bang my exh again. I have a number of divorced friends, they all feel the same way.

+1

It is not confusing (we don’t do Christmas together but do birthdays and a beach vacation—which we don’t like but the kids love it. We are mom and Dad forever. It is obvious why we are divorced. We are not a couple. It would be worse lying to them for their childhood and shocking them when they go to college that we are divorced and living apart. It’s fine and not confusing. They know we will be in different states then they are in college.