Was It the Chocolate Pudding?: A Story for Little Kids About Divorce

When a young boy’s parents divorce, he thinks it’s because of the chocolate pudding he and his brother smeared all over the wall. If only he had brought a spoon!

Divorce usually changes many things in a young child’s life, including family structure, lifestyle, and the child’s home. As a result, children of divorcing parents may feel sad, lonely, angry, or confused. And, like the young boy in this story, they often feel that they are to blame.

Was It the Chocolate Pudding? addresses the confusion experienced by children who are early school age and younger, and focuses with comforting reassurance on the questions that are foremost in their minds: Do my parents still love me? Who will take care of me? And perhaps the biggest question of all: Was it my fault?

A Note to Parents, written by Jane Annunziata, Psy.D., describes common emotions and reactions that parents may expect from their children during separation and divorce, and provides practical information and helpful ways to guide the young child through this process.