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In the immediate aftermath of parental divorce, children often feel confused, hurt, angry and a host of other negative emotions. However, like their parents, they tend to grow into their new lives over time. Many children emerge from the aftermath of divorce far stronger, more resilient, more responsible and more empathetic than they were before their parents went their separate ways.

Regardless of how your children’s child custody arrangements are constructed, if you parent them with their best interests in mind, they will likely emerge from the divorce process healthy, happy and well-adjusted. Although your children may struggle with certain elements of your divorce for years, they will likely also benefit from certain divorce-related truths which they will learn over time.

For example, it can be uniquely difficult to navigate two sets of rules. However, it can also be freeing to express different aspects of yourself in each environment. Learning to adjust to different parental priorities and values can help children begin to define their own values and priorities more quickly than they might otherwise.

In addition, children with divorced parents tend to learn responsibility at a younger age, which may help them cope with the stresses of school and employment later in life. Similarly, watching their parents struggle with the emotional aspects of their newly single lives can help children become more empathetic and less self-centered. Although these lessons can be difficult to learn, they can also be extraordinarily valuable and can help to determine who children will ultimately grow up to be.

Source: Bustle, “Having Divorced Parents Makes You Tough: 33 Things Only Children of Divorce Understand,” Rachel Krantz, Aug. 27, 2014