How and when to tell children about seperation?

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Advice forum

Tom
05.06.2025 20:16:23

46

Hello,

Myself and my wife have decided to seperate. We have 4 young children together. 4,6,9 and 10.
I have already found and rented a flat nearby to the family home. However we need advice on when and the best way to tell our children that is age appropriate. Is it best to inform the kids and pretty much immediately move out, or is it better to slowly move to the rented flat giving them time to process it? Any advise on this topic would be greatly appreciated as we really don’t know how to proceed.

Thanks in advance.

Replies (1)

Jade from amicable
06.06.2025 12:34:00

Hi Tom,

Thank you for getting in touch with amicable. It seems that you and your partner are approaching this situation with care and with your children front of mind.

Every family is different, so there’s no one right way to go about this, but generally, it can be helpful to speak to children once a decision has been made and when something concrete is about to change. In your situation that might be when you're preparing to move out.

We have articles on how to talk to children about separation and adjusting to life as a co-parent that will be helpful to you at this stage.

You might also find our Divorce Podcast episode on how to tell your children useful, as well as this short YouTube video that shares practical tips for handling that conversation.

We also offer a Separating with Children service to help couples navigate their co-parenting relationship during and after separation. If you’d like more advice on this, you're welcome to book a free 15-minute call with one of our Divorce Specialists.

Wishing you and your family all the best,

Jade from amicable

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