Does Divorce Affect Children - 1271 Words

In modern times, there tends to be an abundance of controversial moral issues plaguing the world. Individuals often find themselves trying to determine what is right and what is wrong in the world, and families can also find themselves in situations where they question what is moral and immoral. From these moral issues stems one important question--does divorce affect children? Marriages are ending up in divorce at a higher and higher rate. Divorce has become more prevalent in today’s society, but what many people fail to realize is that divorce not only affects the parents but also their children. To children, divorce is their world shattering before their eyes. Divorce can be overwhelming for parents, and they tend to†¦show more content†¦Any other relationship configuration presents a conflict or betrayal of their basic understanding of life. In divorce, children tend to resent both the custodial and absent parent† (Desai, 2006). Parents should try thei r hardest to work their marriage out, but if they are unable to do so, they should not be under the illusion that an unhealthy marriage will benefit their children when, in reality, it will not. Parents think it will be better to stay together, but it is not good for the children to see them constantly fighting. Younger children struggle with seeing one of the parents bring in someone new to their family. They realize that it is not their real parent, and they sometimes have less respect for them. Divorce can be hard on children because of having new people welcomed into the family, but they will adjust over time. The affects of divorce tend to vary with different children. They are mostly short-term affects. Children begin to become angry, they feel as though they cannot trust their parents, or they are in complete total shock (Arkowitz Lilienfeld, 2013). Usually, children outgrow these affects after a couple of years, but they still feel that a piece of them is missing. It is understood that as they go throughout life they will face difficult times where they wish both of their parents were living under the same roof. Some children will have to live with their parents constantly fighting