Most spouses when they actually separate, rarely think about the life of their kids. Children are the ones who are greatly affected by a divorce that takes place. We are going to devote this divorce essay to have a look at the effects in details, and how they can affect children.
Perhaps the effects of divorce on the younger ones depends on the age. The pre-schoolers who are usually at the age of below 9 years are greatly affected. The family, more specifically the parents, are at the center of their universe. Thus, such a turn of events can break them up.
One of the main issues that may happen is that they would not perform simple actions that they previously used to perform. They may not know what is good or what is wrong.
Moreover, if we talk about students, their academic performance might drop. The children will become psychologically affected. They may fail to concentrate their minds in class and start thinking of their parents who separate. In addition, they may feel inferior when they see the parents of their friends during visits and feel that they would have been theirs. In such an age, students are likely to commit some rash acts; such a thing as divorce can push them to try drugs or alcohol.
Secondly, children end up living in high poverty situations since incomes have dropped. Sometimes, it happens that one of the parents is the breadwinner of the family, therefore, if the parents separate, the source of incomes will not be available any more. In this case, children may begin to involve themselves in cases of juvenile gangs to earn extra cash.
One more trouble is that they may also end up developing a feeling of abandonment and confusion. This happens when the parents seek for new spouses and they bring their new couples to live with the children from the previous relationship.
For adolescents, they always tend to react in different ways as compared to preschoolers. Some of them usually even feel a kind of betrayal. They begin having a feeling that they need to take care of their lives, since their parents are no longer available or not willing to take care of them. The reaction of the adolescents is quite different depending on how aware they are of what is taking place around them.
Among boys, a rebellious and aggressive behavior could be observed. On the other side, the girls are more anxious and very withdrawn from their normal lifestyles. They are concentrated on themselves more. The longer the period of time that the conflict persists the longer the effects on the children.
Children may also experience a lot of problems with adjusting to new life situations. This happens when the divorced parents continue fighting. For children, the full recovery might not be possible as compared to the parents. The children will always be recalling the holidays and other celebrations that they had together with both parents.
However, against the common belief about the various effects of divorce on children, some children do not experience these harmful issues, since they feel more mentally strong and are able to cope with different challenges that come their ways. As good parents, you should therefore keep in mind the effects of the divorce on the children. So, try your best not to let your children be affected by your divorce.
References:
- Chris. (November 2016) “The Do’s & Don’ts of Helping Teens During Divorce”. Understanding Tennagers. Understanding Teenagers. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
- Nuwer, Rachel. (2016) “Why It’s So Hard for Adults When Their Parents Divorce”. You Beauty. YOUCONTENT MEDIA 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
- “How Does Divorce Affect Girls and Boys Differently?”. yourdivorcequestions. n/a. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
- Fagan, Churchill, Patrick, Aaron (January 11, 2012). “The Effects of Divorce on Children” (PDF). Marriage & Religion Research Institute.
- Riley, Naomi Schaefer (6 June 2010). “Love conquers all. Except religion”. The Washington Post. Washington, DC. pp. B1.
- Luscombe, Belinda (24 May 2010). “Divorcing by the Numbers”. New York, New York: Time. p. 47.
- Yen, Hope (7 October 2010). “Wedding bells for college educated”. Associated Press.