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The Effect of Divorce on Parent and Child Essay

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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.

Explaining Divorce

"Parents frequently tell me they believe that to explain too much about the end of …show more content…

Sometimes divorce may be the only way to solve the various problems a family may have.

Custody

When parents become divorced there are many decisions that they must come to an agreement upon. "How will are possessions be divided?" and "What will happen to the children?" are often the most asked questions when divorce occurs. Custody is almost always the largest battle when husband and wife become divorced. Custody includes all duties a parent owes a child including, food, shelter, protection discipline, education, and even a child's religious beliefs (Martin 32). Often, a judge must make custody decisions for the parents. There are several types of custody, but the most common are sole custody, joint legal custody, and joint physical custody.

In sole custody, a single parent provides shelter and makes all important decisions for the child. In joint legal custody, the child lives with a single parent but decisions are agreed upon by both. Finally, in joint physical custody the child lives with each parent for equal periods of time and important decisions may be made by either one, or both parents (Furstenberg 32).

Sole custody children often live with the custodial parent for two-week periods and live with the non-custodial parent for two-day time periods (Wolchik 164). This gives the child a stable home to live in while also allowing the child to have a relationship with both parents. Of all different types

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