How Children Are Affected by Parent's Divorce

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Divorce is becoming more prevalent in our society and unfortunately affects every single person involved. What's more, children are highly affected by divorce and some remain affected throughout their entire lives. No matter how smoothly the marriage ends or how many relationships are patched up, the children remain victims in this epidemic spreading throughout the nation. Though school-age children cope better with separation between parents, there are still many problems that they face. They too are afraid of punishment and abandonment or the possibility of being replaced. They also tend to suffer academically and also suffer in relationships at school. Anger, anxiety, uneasiness, and physical symptoms are other ways in which they react. The older the children, the more they set up defense mechanisms against relationships as a result of their parents' divorce. In adolescence it is another situation teenagers have to deal with. Teenagers experience a great deal of pressure at this time in their lives without having to deal with a divorce. Because this is a crucial time in development in which they need positive role models, many teenagers begin to feel resentment towards the parents, particularly the ones that does not have custody. They tend to waver between the love they feel for their parents and the anger they have over the situation. Teenagers also have difficulty in reacting to new partners. While they may like the new partner, teenagers may worry that they are betraying the other parent. Divorce at this time may exacerbate the potential for dangerous behavior such as promiscuity, drug/alcohol abuse, violence, and delinquency. Some other problems of divorced parents and custody are: even if joint custody is a possibility, it still makes life more difficult than need be. One parent is usually burdened with the transportation obligations. On the average,

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