The Effects of Divorce on Children

 Now that the semester has come to an end, we have finished talking about divorce. This is something that affects many families around the world. In America, 2.5 out of 1000 people got divorced in the year 2020. During this semester, we have discussed different factors that are crucial to families. They all, in a way, influence how a family works and what the outcomes of children or each member of the family will be. Divorce is a circumstance that unfortunately affects a lot of people. Most of us have probably seen this happen to people who are close to us or even have experienced it first-hand.

We have discussed in class the fact that 70% of couples who have divorced about two years later say they could have saved the marriage. Most of the reasons for couples divorcing can be traced back to topics we have discussed in class, such as finding the right partner. In class, we were taught the importance of courtship as a way to find the right person to start dating. During that stage, we find out important things about the person. Having shared experiences will allow us to know small things that we wouldn´t have otherwise known by talking to them. Communication is also an essential key to families. If people don´t find the right partners, they might end up with people who are not compatible with them.

I haven´t lived first-hand a divorce, but my childhood best friend did experience one, so I could see one real close. Divorce is something really hard, especially for children. We have learned in this class that children who are most likely to have better outcomes come from families with a mother and a father, and those outside of this type of family will have fewer opportunities to succeed. When my friend´s parents were getting a divorce, I saw how it affected her, especially emotionally. My friend was 12, and her brother was four. She was so sad when she found out her parents were getting separated. She uses to tell me she thought it was her fault. She struggled a lot with the separation since she loved both of her parents. Ultimately they decided she and her brother would stay with her mother. I remember how hard it was for her to know that her father would live somewhere else and that she wouldn´t see him every day. This is something we also discussed in class. Battle for custody is something extremely hard on children since they are forced to live between two people they love. Knowing that you might not see one of your parents every day is hard because they were previously used to it and then everything suddenly changes. When there are custody battles, people expect children to live 50/50 with both parents, but it never ends up being like that. One of the parents will spend more time with their children and actually be part of their lives.

Something that can also occur with divorce is that children are forced to spend time with one of their parents when they don´t want to. I can illustrate this with one of my friends´ experiences. Her parents got divorced when she was really young, and she did not like her father because she would verbally mistreat her. However, ever since they got the divorce, she has been forced to spend every weekend with him. This has affected her a lot throughout the years because she has had an awful time with her father.

Divorce is hard for both parties involved, but its effects on the children are way more difficult and complex. It is our duty, I believe, to find the right partner so divorcing won´t occur. However, it is also essential to cultivate the relationship and communicate on any matter that might affect the relationship.