Age Thirteen : A Tough Age For Some

Divorce is not only difficult for parents, but even more difficult for the children. It can hit hard and fast but can also be built up from long term damage and stress on the marriage. Children can view their parent’s divorce in multiple ways. They can visually see it, or they can hear it. Children may also not view the divorce at all. Divorce can be sudden, confusing, and hidden. It can be a quick and relieving process, or it could be slow and painful. The relationship could be fought for night after night with little progress being made. The marriage could be fought verbally or even physically. Hurtful words are thrown to bring an end to the relationship and caring words are thrown to keep the marriage alive.

Parental divorce can result in devastating effects on children. These children suffer tremendous long-term consequences as a result of an event that is not their doing. This paper reviews literature and opinions concerning the long-term effects of divorce on adolescents. The paper outlines four major areas of interest: aggression as a result of parental conflict and the different types associated with boys and girls, depression in the lives of boys and girls in its various forms, the choice boys and girls make to marry or not later in life and the possibility of adolescents expressing parental alienation. The results of this

From the ages of 8- 14, I lived in a very volatile home. Coming home from school, I never knew if it was going to be a quiet day in my house or if the entire house would be engulfed in screaming. I dreaded the weekends, that meant that everyone was going to be home. Everyone home meant that things could easily go up to flames in just a millisecond. I tried my best to never be home, I would spend the days with my friends. I knew that when I got home there was a 90% chance of everyone fighting. One day in the summer of 2012, things got too heated, and my mom finally decided to move. We packed up everything in a few hours while my stepfather was at work. We moved into my best friend’s home for a few days until we found an apartment within the school district to move into.

In the Spring of 2011, my parents got a divorce. I was thirteen years old and it was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to experience. I can remember like it was yesterday when my mother sat me down and confessed the tragic news. Going through something that horrific, I would never wish divorce on anyone. Being a child of divorce, I went though the divorce differently than my mother and father did. With both parents being separated in different homes, I had to choose who I wanted to stay with on the nightly. It was a bad situation because both parents were going through such a destructive time, yet both desired always to be with my sister and I. That was the most painful and challenging decision I would have to daily make. I never

Parents splitting up can be a stressful and upsetting time for a child. As an adult you can support them and comfort them through this hard time, you could sit down with them and ask them how they feel and maybe do some activities with them to take their mind off it for a little while.

“Teen Health and Wellness” expresses that the result on children ages six to eight is most profound. It says they are old enough to realize what is happening but do not have adequate skills to deal with the disruption. It asserts that they often feel a sense of responsibility, experience tremendous grief, and have a pervasive sadness and yearning for the departed parent. According to this article, adolescents' reactions to divorce include anger, a desire for a stable home, and a need for clear boundaries between them and their parents, especially around such issues as sexuality, dating, and household responsibilities. “Dysfunctional Family” testifies that teens that already have to deal with their maturing bodies and minds, divorce is just an added burden (Dysfunctional Family).

Adolescents display many of the effects of the middle childhood but to a higher degree. Divorce affects teenagers in a strong and painful way because it reverses the normal maturation of the adolescent years. Adolescents and teenagers fear the breakup of the family. This usually causes them to become very angry with their parents, usually the parent they blame for starting the divorce. They may yell at people or even react with physical violence in situations that remind them of their parents' breakup and the awful

When I was 13 years-old, my parents would always get in big arguments. When they argued I didn’t even know what they were arguing about. Until one night my mom decided they wanted a divorce. That night all I could remember was yelling, crying, and depression. I personally have no Idea why my parents decided to get a divorce, I just hope it was for the right reasons. When this was happening I kept blaming it on myself. I thought it was my fault and I had to fix it, but it wasn’t my fault and there was no way I could fix it. The best thing I learned from this situation was to keep my head up and keep positive, those things helped me jump over the obstacle of divorce. This situation made me be more kind to people, because most of the time in life

The purpose for this group is for children ages from eight to twelve who are seeking support due to their parents’ divorce. Children with parents that are currently getting divorce or have been divorced in the last two years. Children who participate in this group will be allowed to express feelings and learn coping skills. This group will encourage a safe zone for children to express themselves and find different techniques regarding their circumstance due to their parents’ divorce.

When I was a kid me and my mom didn't really get along all that much, always had problems, and I never knew exactly why that was. I tried everything I could to avoid any and all fights and arguments, so I did everything she wanted and whatever she said to cease all of it. Things didn't get any better, they more like they got much much worse, I was finally able to move out in with biological father and things seemed to go good for awhile I was sent to military school and made out of that. Moved back home and moved out on my own and working 2 jobs to pay for all the bills, so when you're living with mom and dad don't take for granted what they give you cause its hard when you're on your own. Graduated high school doing everything that a young

When I was about 14 months old, my parents separated which then led to a divorce. Since I was extremely young, I cannot remember how it affected me. But once I got into grade school, I was in great knowledge that something was different. I then started to understand the affects my parents’ divorce had on me such as anger, resentment, feeling of loneliness, and prob-lems with communication. Now that I am a young adult, I still feel like I am being affected by those same problems except now I am able to control myself when I start to feel the symptoms. Divorce has had a huge impact on my life.

As soon as I was old enough to understand that my mother and father did not love each other anymore, I knew I would need a lot of strength to cope. As time passed, tensions built, and my parents finally divorced. Under these new circumstances, both of my parents wanted complete control over me. During my high school years arguments were constant and I had to be the messenger between them. Issues such as child support, bills, and how much time I would spend with each of them were constant battles. As I grew older I knew I needed to reduce the stress in my life. I was ready to move on.

Adolescent children may display many different types of behaviors when coping with a split family of divorce. Parents will try to cover their feelings when going through a divorce in efforts to not upset the children. However, children still suffer and end up stressed out and are left to deal with a wide array of emotions. The emotions may lead to feelings of guilt. Adolescent children often blame themselves for the cause of divorce. Instead of parents sitting down and explaining, the cause of divorce to the children in an age

     Divorce is a family crisis, which could require a long period for recovery. Along with the turmoil associated with the adolescent stage of life, divorce adds other

Seeing your parents apart and not getting along when they’re together is hard for most kids specially when you’re 8 years old and you don’t know what’s coming next. The day my parents got divorced changed my perception of what a normal family was.