Introduction In our nation divorce is a big part of life. Divorce is the legal dissolution of marriage or the termination of an existing relationship or union. Divorce starts with two adults but always ends up impacting the children in the biggest way. Sons and daughters of divorce often feel confused and abandoned, lose their family structure, and experience identity crisis. Many parents never bother to think of how divorce will affect their children. Children are impacted by divorce in multiple ways. For the most part the impact is negative. Children feel they have to choose a side to get love from a parent. They are taught to lie and to keep secrets from one parent in order to protect another parent. In a divorce, the …show more content…
The bond between the parents and the children changes and it will never be the same either. Some adults may be able to deal with emotional situations better than children. Having both parents in the home gives a child a sense of security. For children divorce can be stressful, sad, and confusing at any age. While parents may be devastated or relieved by the divorce, children are invariably frightened and confused by the threat to their security. Studies show that kids are never the same emotionally after the divorce of their parents and it also in most cases affects their marital success.
As many couples head to court seeking divorce, most never think of their children and how they feel about the situation. Parents don’t consider the toll their decision will have on the children. Most parents assume that everything will work out but recent reports show from What the Children Go Through that things only get worse for the children after their parents separate. Some kids may think that they are the cause for their parent’s breakup. Many children assume the responsibility for bringing their parents back together, causing them additional stress. This is where the child is affected at, with all the stress added on from their parents’ divorce plus them trying to get their parents back together where is it time for them to focus on school? The conflict within that household leads on to outside problems in life. In most cases if a child gets into a
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.
Divorce is one of the most common happenings in the world experienced by children. Most children go through different adjustments to become comfortable with the fact that their parents are not together anymore. Children of divorced parents are prone to lifelong effects. Seventy-five to eighty percent of children have divorced parents and twenty-five percent of those children have serious social, emotional, or psychological problems for the rest of their life. Most adults think that it is best for parents to stay together for the sake of their child because having two parents in different households can become difficult for the child socially and academically.
Divorce can be very difficult for the parents, but even harder for the children involved. Children of divorce often feel caught in the middle and have to choose between their parents. A lot of the time Parent Alienation Syndrome is a huge result from a divorce. A divorce isn't something that is short-term. Children of divorce face more obstacles than other children.
If divorce is so painful, why do some children flourish academically? Why do others sound mature and logical when explaining their family situation? Why do others carry on as if nothing has happened? "The reactions a child exhibits will depend on the nature of the child (ego strength and capacity to mobilize resources), as well as his or her age and the relationship of the parents and child before, during, and after the divorce. Some of the initial reactions to divorce are similar to the reactions to the death of a loved one." It can be expected that a child going through such a traumatic event as divorce will experience a wide spectrum of emotions: sadness or depression, denial, embarrassment, anger, guilt, concern about being cared for, regression, maturity, and physical symptoms (Diamond 22-28).
Children react differently yet similarly in divorce. Every child caught up in the distress of divorce has a hard time coping with it and imagining their life without a parent. Their
Divorce may affect young children somewhat differently than older children. According to Karen DeBord, a child development specialist, there are different stages in childhood, and at each of these stages children have a different understanding of divorce. At the infancy stage children are not capable of understanding the conflict, but may notice a difference in the parents' disposition (DeBord, 1997). Here she states that children may react with a loss of appetite, upset stomach, or anxiety. As a toddler they recognize the loss a parent but cannot reason
Divorce is not just a tough situation for the couples getting the divorce; it also has a large effect on any children involved in the divorce. When children are involved in a divorce, the first major impact they have to face is that child or children involved in the divorce losses time with each of the parents. In a non-divorced family on
Divorce causes many problems for children and has many implications. Psychological implications include mental health problems and behavioral problems. Social roles are turned inside out and upside down. Children are often pulled in many directions. In the United States divorce is very common and often leaves children confused and without options. Many turn toward violence, crime, drugs, and isolation. Studies show how adults can reduce the tension for these children. Other
The last effect in children of divorcing parents is the academic failure. As a result of the parents getting a divorce, the child may stop becoming a good student and slide more towards the slacking behavior. They may stop participating in class and in group work, even passing time chatting with friends instead of doing school work. Sometimes students do this because they feel they can get even with their parents who are divorcing.They feel their parents should not be getting divorced. It changes all aspects of the children’s lives. And often children don’t believe their parents have had any consideration for them in the decision to divorce. Children also sometimes feel they are the cause of their parents decision to divorce. This results in the students decision to get an F in classes. The student hopes this failing academic behavior will awaken the parents to his or her needs instead of the parents thinking about only themselves.
Divorce has many victims; they do not fall under a specific category and do not target a specific gender, age, race, or ethnicity. The effect of divorce on children differs from the effect on the spouses. The reasons for divorce are endless; they have many side effects on the spouses but most importantly affect the children. Divorce is one of the main reasons for disruption in our communities. Regardless of the reason, divorce always harms the children’s decisions, personalities, and futures.
How children are affected by divorce is a question of vast significance to your children and, of course, to you. Divorce delivers many losses for parents and for minors. Divorce means you want to abolish your marriage with your significant other. Divorce can make you believe that you are losing your whole family. Divorce could possibly mean losing your home, associates, and the loss of social status. For kids divorcing may mean losing their school, losing frequent contact with one of their parents, and sometimes losing some affection, attention, and needed discipline from both of the parents. Divorce is the ending point of your position as a husband or wife, and it can sometimes make you feel like you are not a good parent. In addition, divorce means the sacrifice of your plans and imageries for yourself, for your family, and for your children. So how are children affected by divorce? The answer is not simple, which is one reason why numerous people are confused.
Divorce or the parent separation is a major life change for the children and can
In the last two decades divorce has increased substantially leaving couples single and families broken. Divorce is the reality for many families as there is an increase in divorce rates, cohabitation rates, and the number of children raised in step and single marital families. Divorce cannot be overlooked as it negatively affects and impacts youngsters for the rest of their lives. Although it is the decision between two parents’s children are hurt the most in the process. The concept of divorce is extremely difficult for children to understand as there are many unanswered questions and uncertainties. “Will my mom or dad remarry and who will I live with?” are concerns children express while going through divorce. Many
Divorce and its effects on children are common issues that are on the rise in the world today. Divorce affects more than just the married couple. Children often bear the brunt of divorce, which makes divorce a complicated decision for most parents. Understanding the effects divorce has on a child is important to know exactly why a child acts a certain way. A divorce can affect a child psychologically, intellectually, and even behaviorally. Children can suffer physiologically from things like depression, intellectually by having trouble in school and behaviorally by having trouble in social settings. Legally, a divorce is a single event, but from a psychological standpoint, it is a complicated,
Divorce is a plague that is destroying numerous families across the United States of America. Sadly, when husbands and wives divorce, the children are often caught directly in the middle. Throughout the years divorce has been becoming more and more common. In the 1920's it was a rare find to know a person whom had been divorced, today it is a rarity not to know of one who has been, or will be divorced. Divorce has numerous effects on the structures of families, and many devastating effects on the children that must experience it, although sometimes necessary, divorce radically changes the lives of adolescents and adults alike.