A few years ago, Andy Root, who teaches at Luther Seminary, told me that he was writing a book about the effects of divorce on kids. As a leader and daughter of divorced parents, I was interested and asked Andy if he would send me a chapter of his manuscript.

He did, and I devoured it. I asked him to send me another one.

He did, and I devoured that one also. And I repeated my request for him to send me the next chapter.

I read the entire manuscript that way. I’ve recommended Andy’s book, The Children of Divorce, probably over 20 times. We also interviewed Andy for our FYI E-Journal last summer. But since the effects of divorce on kids are everywhere, I thought I’d post about it, especially given this article in Christianity Today‘s Her.meneutics last week.

What I most remember and appreciate about Andy’s thesis is that divorce affects a child’s sense of being. On a very existential level, if my parents are no longer together, and I came from my parents, what does that say about me and my existence?

I also applaud that Andy doesn’t paint a doom-and-gloom scenario for all kids of divorce, as many other books tend to. Instead, there are a raft of helpful and practical suggestions for adults, communities, and churches who want to support kids and families in the midst of the divorce process.