GRIEF -Remarriage only happens after a loss. The children have either lost a parent through divorce or death. It is natural for them to be grieving. Their grief may not look like the grief of an adult. It may look more like irritation or
distractedness.

FEAR -Children have already suffered a major loss, which they had no control over. They have lost a parent - their most crucial connection. They may fear losing another parent. They may fear they will not fit into this new family.

JEALOUSY -It is very hard for a child to share a parent with a newcomer. It is hard to share their space, their house, and their possessions. It can be hard to share a sibling even. Their remarried parent is often distracted and visibly
excited by their new spouse. The child may not generate this sort of energy in their parent and they know it.

GUILT -Many children, of all ages, blame themselves for a parent's divorce. They do not have an adult perspective. They have to try to understand the cause of a divorce with very limited insight and information. So they turn to what they do know about - how their parents used to argue, often involving parenting issues. If they like their new stepparent, they will probably feel guilty for being disloyal to their biological parent.