Divorce can be a traumatic experience for your children. No matter how old they are, the divorce will be hard for them to understand and eventually to accept. Some children in fact harbor hopes that their parents will get back together even after several years of living apart.
Many children feel that they are the ones at fault when their parents break up. Although this may seem illogical to adults, children can find associations in the most incongruous of things. As often attested by revelations during therapy, children often feel that they could have done something to prevent the break-up in the family. There are those "what ifs" and "could have beens." If they were good and obedient children, would they have prevented the split? If they did not get into trouble in school, would their parents stay together?
One of the crucial moments that parents should take note of and prepare themselves is the way that they will break the news to their children. Although explaining it properly will not necessarily lessen the pain of knowing that their parents will be splitting up but at least a proper explanation will help prevent misunderstandings especially in what caused the break up in the first place.
Remember that young children are very impressionable. Everything that you do, whether you want them to see or not, can mean something. It is important that you tell them what's going on to avoid misrepresentations.