When a friend’s marriage is ending she needs support from her friends – here’s how you can help her.
When a couple decides to end their marriage before “death do us part,” the decision can cause a ripple effect among friends and family. You may be tempted to step in to prevent what you consider to be a mistake or maybe you want to exclaim “it’s about time!”
Then there are worries about how your friend is holding up or how she’ll manage in the future. But the truth is your soon-to-be-single friend doesn’t need to hear any of that.
“What someone in this situation needs is a nonjudgmental listener,” says Judith Ruskay Rabinor, Ph.D., author of Befriending Your Ex After Divorce: Making Life Better for You, Your Kids and Yes, Your Ex. Rabinor speaks from experience – she split from her husband after 15 years of marriage. “People are often unsure of what to say, but words aren’t as important as the act of simply being there,” she says.
With half of all first marriages expected to end in divorce, you may have a brokenhearted pal who needs your support.
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My son knows more about divorce & infidelity than anyone should.
