“You can pick your friends, but you can’t pick your family.”

What happens to your extended family when you get a divorce? When children are involved, they are still your children’s grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. They are still theirs and yours extended family. Just because you divorce your husband or wife doesn’t mean that you are also divorcing their family.

It is not the grandparents and extended families responsibility to maintain the relationship, but yours. Whether you liked them or not when you were married, you have to think of your children. Your children will want them to be a part of their lives, and you have to do whatever it takes to make sure they are. It is important for your children, no matter what the circumstances of the divorce, to maintain their relationships with their grandparents and extended family. Those bonds are just as important as the parental bonds.

Even if you never liked your in-laws or other extended family, don’t ever alienate your children from them. It will come back to haunt you. Do the right thing for your children’s sakes—and yours.