09/29/2026
This is such a significant issue. It cannot stress enough the need to highly value the preservation of your marriage when you are raising a child with RAD.
When RAD Becomes a Struggle for the Marriage
Nobody talks enough about what Reactive Attachment Disorder can do to a marriage.
It’s not just the behaviors that exhaust parents. It’s the constant vigilance, the sleepless nights, the arguments about what to do next, the disagreements over discipline, the fear of what might happen, and the guilt that comes with feeling like you’re failing everyone.
Sometimes one parent feels like they’re fighting for safety while the other feels like they’re fighting to preserve the relationship with their child.
Then the distance grows.
You stop talking because every conversation turns into an argument. You stop having time together because there is always another crisis. You become roommates, caregivers, crisis managers—and somewhere along the way, you forget that you were husband and wife before you became parents navigating RAD.
And yet…
You’re both hurting.
You’re both exhausted.
You both love your child.
And you both may be grieving the family life you thought you would have.
Having a child with RAD can put extraordinary pressure on a marriage. It doesn’t mean the love between two parents isn’t real. Sometimes it means they desperately need support, understanding, respite, and a safe place to be a couple again.
Because caring for a child with complex trauma shouldn’t mean losing your marriage in the process.
Different battles. Same team.
Our marriages matter too. ❤️
