Mom goes guy to guy, later married 6 months, how traumatic is divorce/father's death?

One thought I had for a sequel to "Discovering Grace" (my book with the dysfunctional family w/2 MCs as the only Christians trying to survive and help others in it) is that the "new dad" might wind up leaving (or even dying at the end of the sequel or later). My question is, how hard would the divorce be?

The setup as I started to write is way to hard to explain in a few sentences, but suffice it to say the mom knew this guy a few months, one or both cheated, the mom had a string of guys for 2 years, then got back together with this guy after having gone out that evening with another guy! (XCausing the 2 MCs to call a friend of the FMC who shares with her about God's perfect love & forgiveness 7 guidance through anything.) The couple then marries about a week later when the guy wants to move in to save on rent money.

So, they pretty much know the relationship is messy. The guy does try to be a good dad, but he's busy a lot at work (well, slightly older YA readers will wonder if that's always true) and he hasn't been there a long time. The oldest brother just moved away to college so he was enough of a father figure at times. (Oldest 2 had one dad, 2 MCs had another, last 2 kids had a 3rd and 4th dad)

So, how hard would a divorce be on the kids, since he's not dad to any of them? Is it reasonable to make it vary among the kids, with older ones not bothered by it as much? What if the dad gets cancer instead? There I imagine it'd be worse more because they'd see him as a human being and not like to see him suffer, even if they aren't as close.

Also, I think the mom's pregnant (but at least they know it's with the guy she's married to). But I'm not telling the characters yet. :-)

Moving to PLot Doctoring

Considering the number of guys Mom used up, will the kids even care before the 10th wedding anniversary?

I mean, is he just one more guy or is he personable towards the kids.

I would guess that the kids would approach him with a wait and see mentality. After all, the guys come and go in the setting.

However, making the guy sick with a terminal illness is a different twist.
Cancer is a nasty beast you would not wish on your worst enemy!

Yeah, you're right, I guess I was just thinking out loud in general about the fellow ding; cancer would be a lot worse than just him dropping dead of a heart attack or something.

First I want to bring in the complication of another of his kids coming to live with them so it'll be a while. Still, it's good to know that my idea's good about how traumatic divorce would be; and probably just a "Type A personality, works himself to death" kind would be better than wasting away; I just want something where he has a chance to possibly know his end is near and thus come to know the Lord. (Of course, a guy in his 40s could have a heart attack and survive but die later; or a stroke.)

Honestly with a background like that, the kids would have been affected way before that happened. Divorce and Death and illnesses are hard concepts for younger kids. It isn't really the divorce, death, or illness itself that disturbs the children, but usually how other people react to it. If the mom is emotional and intense, of course the children will be too.

Okay, thanks. Yeah, I've filled out the oldest 5 pretty we4ll as to how they're impacted by the mom's...well, messing around, I guess the youngest will just look up to to the older ones for guidance. The youngest, who turns 3 partway through my book and was 2 earlier, I never really got a handle on but he did't have a big role last time, except we know he clung to a middle brother a lot.

With the oldest brother going off to college, that will perhaps be a biggerchange than I think, too, I guess. But, that just means my MMC and MFC will have more thrust on them :-)