Just watched the last half an hour of this film with tears streaming down my cheeks.

I used to watch this film and cry with laughter, not this time.

The sentiment is very different when the situation the film depicts is so close to home.

I’ve written before about not understanding what it’s like to be a child of divorce and the pain that children feel. This film beautifully challenges us to consider all the parties involved; the children and the separated parents. In this situation nobody wins. Everybody loses out. The children miss whichever parent they aren’t with at that moment. The parent that is away from his or her children misses the kids. Many hearts are left aching for each other and wishing things were different.

My children have a long weekend with their Dad every other weekend. I don’t see them from Friday afternoon to Monday afternoon and that is agonising. I keep myself busy and from the outside looking in (via my Instagram mainly 😂) it seems that I have a wonderful balance of family life and social life.

I’d swap it. In a heartbeat.

I’d have my children all the time and I envy my friends who have a family unit where they don’t have to share. If they have a weekend away from their kids it’s because it’s a rarity and it’s their choice. It’s fine because the other 51 weekends of the year they can spend with their children. I don’t even get mine for 26 weekends as they always have a Saturday or Sunday with their Dad.

I don’t begrudge their father that time as they need him and like Mrs Doubtfire; he needs them. I just miss them.

Ultimately nobody has a child thinking they would like to share it with an estranged partner, just like nobody goes into marriage thinking it’ll end in divorce. These things happen and we make the most of it. We plaster a smile on.

Inside I’m yearning for my babies and I ache for them when I’m not with them.

Adult relationships are hard and as selfish humans we make stupid mistakes. These mistakes impact on our children and indeed ourselves. We only find this out when it’s too late to rectify and many people live with the consequences.

At the end of the film Mrs Doubtfire has her own TV show and a child writes in because they are sad that their parents are splitting up. Mrs Doubtfire has some beautiful words of wisdom that we can all take comfort from in this scenario, whether you are the adult or the child.

Oh, my dear. You know, some parents, when they’re angry, they get along much better when they don’t live together. They don’t fight all the time, and they can become better people, and much better mummies and daddies for you. And sometimes they get back together. And sometimes they don’t, dear. And if they don’t, don’t blame yourself. Just because they don’t love each other anymore, doesn’t mean that they don’t love you. There are all sorts of different families. Some families have one mommy, some families have one daddy, or two families. And some children live with their uncle or aunt. Some live with their grandparents, and some children live with foster parents. And some live in separate homes, in separate neighborhoods, in different areas of the country – and they may not see each other for days, or weeks, months… even years at a time. But if there’s love, dear… those are the ties that bind, and you’ll have a family in your heart, forever. All my love to you poppet, you’re going to be alright… bye bye.

Xxx