Views from children

'When you are not together all the time, it can sort of make it better when you do see each other.'

'My dad does still see my
mum quite often, you know, because they do favours and stuff.'

'I've got a new brother, I've got a mum and dad, and a step mum and step dad. There's more of us. I've got more people.'

'You get on with your life and then when something comes up, you just sort of try and cross that bridge when you come to it.'

'I think maybe it's got me a bit more mature. Yes, I think it's got me a bit more used to dealing with things that maybe I didn't want to happen. I think it's made me a bit stronger.'

'Dad writed to me today and sent me a book. I'm glad when I see him 'cos, well, he hugs and kisses me and then I jump on him and we do something fun, like go swimming.'

'I wouldn't wish anything to change about the family, I like it how it is. Because if I said I wanted Mum and Dad back together, then we wouldn't have Sam or Rod (the step parents) and we wouldn't have Ronan, or Jane or Jacob (the new brothers and sisters).'

'I'm just so used to it I can hardly imagine it any other way. I can't imagine it any other way. I mean, there's a good side and a bad side to it. As there is with everything, I'm just used to it. And I get on with my life. I quite enjoy it.’

'If somebody said, "If you had the choice would you have your mum and dad get back together?" I don't know if I would say yes, because I don't know what it would be like. I never really think about the good things or the bad things, it's something that's happened and I'm used to it now. It's my life.'

'I just treat our family as it was before they split up. Except for them living apart, it's the same as normal really.'

'I think I've probably got closer to Mum and Dad, just because of the situation. I appreciate them a lot more. My friends say, "Are you coming out on Sunday?", and I'll be like, "Oh no, I can't because I won't see them for a week." They don't understand, they take their parents for granted, but I don't, because they're not there all the time. And, like, when I go away I don't miss either of my parents because I'm used to not having them around. I suppose I'm a lot more independent than a lot of my friends. We've had to grow up a lot faster than a lot of other people. Because we had to manage.'