When a man or woman has an affair, attention is most often focused on them, their marriage, and the looming outcome. The effects of this infidelity on kids is often overlooked, but it can be just as hard on children as it is on their parents. Like their mother and father, kids may begin experiencing feelings of mistrust, self-blame, and confusion; and it will undoubtedly affect them down the road in relationships of their own.

Children may feel a sense of guilt for their parent cheating. Many times children will blame themselves for the problems of their parents because they think that their actions may be the cause of their parents. They can become confused, angry, sad, and distrusting.

One of the main things that gives children a sense of security is the relationship between their parents. If their parents are having problems, children may start to act out and become afraid of what lays ahead for them. Even if there is just the thought of infidelity which puts a strain on the relationship, children will feel it.

The effects of infidelity on kids can also cause them to become detached from their siblings, even aggressive. This results from the lack of trust with one or the other of the parents. The child may blame their sibling or either parent, be it the unfaithful one or not. They wonder what the parent suffering from the infidelity may have done to cause it.

Being unfaithful can create a very cold home life. Both parents can begin to become fake to try and cover up for their children's sakes but this doesn't work. All it does is create more stress for everyone. The cause of all this is to create a lack of a loving environment for the children involved.

In the future, the effects of infidelity on kids can continue into their own relationships. They may have trust issues with their partner, creating feelings of jealousy and doubt. This can end up destroying any relationship that they have because they will always think back to what their parent did and wonder if their partner will do the same thing.

The ultimate sacrifice that an unfaithful parent might make is a total breakdown of their relationship with their child. Although emotional wounds might heal on the surface, the deep scars of anger and resentment tend to never go away. Children will more than likely carry these well into adulthood and will always have memories of what happened.

Even in cases where a couple decides to move past an affair and avoid divorce, their children can still suffer emotional and psychological damage. Reminders and memories of the affair may always loom large, and the children may watch constantly for signs that infidelity may happen once again. It may not be a question of if, but when.