Does the Divorce of Parents Harm Their Children

Does the Divorce of Parents Harm their Children?

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Does the Divorce of Parents Harm their Children?
Introduction
A man and a woman come to a consensus based on a relationship they have nurtured for some time to settle down and establish a family. After that, they bear children as a symbol of growth and unity in the marriage. They offer the necessary support, care and protection to their children, educating them on various aspects as they develop emotionally, psychologically, socially and physically. Children depend on the two parents for their wellbeing as each plays a substantial role in their development. However, there are cases where the relation between the parents turns sour. Parents may fail to accommodate each other, leading to major differences that may affect the wellbeing of the children. They may decide to terminate their marriage through a divorce to avoid future engagement. Civil measures are incorporated to determine the custody of the children among other issues. Divorce means that the children will be under the care of a single parent and will not reap the benefits they previously enjoyed. Does divorce of parents harm their children? The answers to the question forms the discussion of this paper. There are pros and cons as identified by researchers in the field of psychology. The discussion will systematically evaluate the pros and cons, determine a stand in the debate and assess how the findings can be applied across different cultures.

Pros
Children thrive in a home setup where both parents contribute fairly to their development and are in harmony. Parents work to cater for the financial, shelter, food among other needs for their children. When divorce occurs, children have to be under the care of a single parent while the other one moves away from home and visits the family accordingly. Divorce can lead to positive implications for the children. First, children take a short duration to realize that one of the parents is not present in their lives. They learn to live under a single parent home resulting in quicker maturity. They become responsible as they have to take care of themselves and their siblings as their parent is busy and may not be always around. Secondly, constant wrangles and conflicts can have a tremendous implications on the psychological development of the children. There are parents who opt to remain in such marriages for the sake of their children. Nonetheless, the outcomes are detrimental for the children in both short and long run. In addition, there are cases where one parent is not putting the necessary efforts in the marriage to enhance its growth. One parent takes on the responsibilities of the entire family. Such scenarios may arise where one of the parents is promiscuous and has another partner. If reconciliation fails, divorce is the best way out to avoid negative implications on the children. They are better off under the care of one parent who will do their best to cater for their needs.
Cons
Children brought up by a single parent may not feel secure financially, emotionally, and psychologically as the contribution of one parent is limited or not present. They may develop a negative attitude towards one of the parent as they undergo the struggle to continue with their lives. The negative attributes may make it hard for the children to establish their own relationships later in life and they may not fully embrace commitment in relationships. Moreover, the psychological turmoil of a divorce may have a detrimental impact on the parent making it hard for them to cater for the children. Depression and anxiety are some of the conditions that may befall on the parent and can spread to the children. The negative implications have been identified to contribute to lower quality life among the children who experience divorce. The lack of moral support weakens the performance of children in school, leads to low social and religious obligations limiting the competence of children in their future lives (Fagan & Churchill, 2012).
Personal View
Divorce has a damaging effect on the lives of the children. Such children are not able to cope well with their lives compared to children who are brought up by both parents. The cause of the divorce does not play a significant role in improving the situation. Marriages full of conflicts between the parents contribute to the psychological damage experienced by the children. There are a number of problems that children experiencing divorce in the homes have to deal with. First, they are worried about their education and basic needs as the financial stability that existed is no longer available. In addition, their social status changes as they have to deal with the sudden change in their lives. Divorce may contribute to changes in their lives such as relocation to another area, schools among others that translates to them seeking new friends and establishing new relationships.
Children also suffer after the divorce as their parent react differently to the whole situation. The emotional changes involved in a divorce can render their parents incompetent to continue caring for the children. The aftermath may be conflicts between the parents as they blame each other. Children may be exposed to the wrangles or may feel abandoned that leads to negative implications in their life. Habits such as involvement in drugs and crime may come up as they lack someone to guide them in their lives (Hughes, 2005). Research notes that the presence of both parents in the lives of children influences their performance in school and life. The key to this is the relationship established between the parents and the children. They feel secure and can conduct their lives without much worry. On the other hand, the custodial parent who in most cases is the mother does not offer all that the children may need. Their financial status may also not be sufficient to cater for the needs of the children requiring appropriate adjustments in the lives of the children.
Multicultural Assessment
Research on Hispanic, Black and White Americans in the US indicates that the rates of divorce are high and implications on the children are similar (Padilla & Borrero, 2006). Moreover, the low economic status of the Hispanic and Black communities makes it especially hard for the single parents to fend for their children leading to difficult livelihoods for the children. Once the children grow faced by the hardships of single-parenthood, they may indulge in crime and drugs making it a challenge for the society.
Critical Literacy
Divorce has a tremendous impact on the parents and children. Insights from researchers have shown the implications of divorce on children. There are pros and cons of the issue, but the negative implications are severe to the psychological development of the children. Their future is jeopardized by divorce as they fail in various key sectors of life such as education, morals among others.
Civic Literacy
The society has a crucial role to play in easing children facing the divorce of their parents to cope with life. Supporting them morally allows them to conduct their lives without dwelling on the divorce of their parents. Moreover, the society should deal with the issue of divorce to mitigate the risks facing children after the divorce of their parent.
Science Literacy
By assessing the psychological development of children from single parent homes, researchers were able to determine the pros and cons of divorce on the children. As researchers continue to study aspects in the field and minimize the rates of divorce and implications on children, scientific theories and knowledge in psychology will be essential.
Values Literacy
In the discussion, the implications of divorce were primarily focused on the mother as the custodial parent of the children. The assumption was that the mother would struggle to cater for the welfare of the children. However, there are also cases where the mother is financially capable of catering for the needs of the children. In addition, the implications of the single parent getting another partner and living peacefully with the children has not been assessed.
References
Fagan, P. F., & Churchill, A. (2012). The Effects of Divorce on Children. Washington: Marriage & Religion Research Institute. Retrieved from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.510.7320&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Hughes, R. (2005). The Effects of Divorce on Children. Urbana-Champaign: Department of Human and Community Development, University of Illinois. Retrieved from https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/14470/The%20Effects%20of%20Divorce%20on%20Children–2005.pdf?sequence=2
Padilla, A. M., & Borrero, N. E. (2006). The effects of acculturative stress on the Hispanic family. Handbook of multicultural perspectives on stress and coping, 299-317. Retrieved from http://web.stanford.edu/~apadilla/PadillaBorrero05a.pdf

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