Tips and advice for men and women who have recently split up from a spouse and are now getting divorced.
Divorced Girl Smiling received this e-mail from a young woman seeking divorce advice. It made me realize how little I write about divorce with no kids involved (with the exception of second marriages that end in divorce with no kids.) But what I want to say is that divorce is painful whether the couple has … Read more
Jackie, I am a single mom of a 16 year old and a 2 year old looking for divorce advice. My 16 year old is from my first husband and we have a great relationship. My 2 year-old’s father and I broke up a week before our son turned a year old. About 6 weeks … Read more
I don’t know one divorced woman or man (or anyone on earth-divorced or not) who doesn’t have days or even longer times when things seem to be imploding in their worlds. In my own situation, I describe those periods of time as feeling like I’m in a dodge ball game, and the balls just keep … Read more
I’m not sure I’ve ever met a person going through a divorce who didn’t describe it as “ugly.” Isn’t an ugly divorce sort of expected? I mean, we can all say we know this one couple getting divorced who are really amicable, who are still “best friends” and who have made the transition easy … Read more
I’ll never forget the first time I ever met my ex-husband’s new girlfriend. She was beautiful, blonde, much younger than me, and the worst one: NICE! I felt sick. I felt old. I felt ugly. I felt depressed. I really wanted to hate her guts. The problem was, I just couldn’t. She was (is) so … Read more
Divorce and binge eating is something I am personally familiar with. Years ago, when I was getting divorced, I can remember being so stressed (a combination of anxiety, anger, fear, sadness, hopelessness) that at times I used food to cope. More than just a few times I would stand in front of my freezer shoveling … Read more
A reader sent me the following e-mail that I can’t resist sharing because it sparks a discussion about dealing with the pain of divorce, and how that pain, which can be gut-wrenching at times, can cause us to act crazy. The reader refers to the Miranda Lambert Song, “Mama’s Broken Heart,” where Lambert is going … Read more
The Sun-Times received this letter from a divorced woman asking for relationship advice. Jackie, I am at a point in my life where I am questioning my relationship. I feel like it could be several things, such as not feeling like I have forgiven myself for my decisions and therefore don’t love myself fully; not … Read more
Editor’s note: I can’t remember how I found out about Ending Up, Paige Morrow Kimball’s short film about coping with divorce, but what I do remember is that when I watched the trailer, I was laughing so hard I had tears running down my cheeks. It put me in a great mood, entertained me, inspired … Read more
Divorced Girl Smiling is meant to give divorce advice to men and women who are either thinking of getting divorced, going through a divorce, or who are already divorced. But my own situation has made me realize that there is another group of people who are in need of divorce advice, whether they are married … Read more
This is a comment that Divorced Girl Smiling received from a cheating spouse, along with my comments and advice. I have been married 17 years to my wife and we have 3 great kids. I’ve been unhappy for a long time. It’s one of those situations where it was just the way it was, and … Read more
Awhile back, I wrote a blog called “Honey, I want a divorce: When the Woman decides to Leave.” It’s one of the most highly viewed posts I’ve written. I can’t count the number of women who have responded who can relate. But, the post also seems to infuriate some men and bring out a tremendous … Read more
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