When a friend or relative is going through a divorce, you may be unsure how to handle sensitive situations.  For example, what if you are friends with a divorcing couple, and the wife expects you to pick a side?  How do you handle a situation when your divorcing friend avoids making plans with you because money troubles have greatly reduced his leisure budget?  What do you tell a family friend’s child who asks you questions about her parents’ divorce?  Author Denise Schipani discusses these and other topics in an article at womansday.com, excerpts of which appear below.

On how to respond to a friend that just told you she’s getting a divorce:

The best thing you can say in this situation is simply, “I’m here for you.” In a way, supporting a divorcing friend is not unlike supporting a grieving friend, because divorce—even if she wanted it, even if it’s relatively amicable—evokes similar feelings of loss.

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