Effects of Divorce on Children

Kaliza Reid

Mrs.Grisham

English 1101

12 August 2016

Effects of Divorce on Children

        "It's going to be okay, maybe that is not the person God wanted me to spend my life with" (Lollis). Many children whose parents are divorced or in the process of getting a divorce have heard these words at least once. Oftentimes parents feel that divorce is the  only way to proceed in living a free life. Although, parents may not realize the short-term efects on their children, the long-term effects that a divorce include, educational consequences, potential health concerns, and even the negative acts of sexual behavior.

        Everyone eventually will be able to cope with divorce. Some children, however, do not  cope with it as quickly. These children typically start to behave more independently and are sheltered. As stated in the article titled "Long-term Effects of Divorce on Children,","Children are almost inevitably burdened by greater responsibilities and feel less cared" ("Short-Term Effets"). They tend to do this because they feel betrayed by their parents, and they feel that they are not as loved. Therefore, children start to experience mixed emotions like sadness, anger, depression, and hate. When experiencing these mixed emotions, children may become difficult to manage and very defiant. These difficulties of management and acts of defiance can result in educatioonal consequences.

        Education is a very stressful load to anyone no matter what that person have going on. "I was an honor roll student, but after myparents got a divorce, I stopped focusing on my school work, because what was the purpose of me trying my hardest in school to keep my parents happy, if they can't even stay together to keep me happy" (Reid)? A very impportant area of children's livesthat may be greatly affected by divorce is academics. Children of divorced parents tend to struggle more in schoool and have less care about success. These negative academic effects often occur if a child is going through sstress, and as a result of this stress they sometimes start to act rebelliously. Most children struggle because their parents may be less likely to carefully monitor their performance in school. Sometimes this occurs because parents may have less time and energy to devote to their children. Not only do children struggle academically they also struggle mentally.

        Divorce can bring psychological problems into anybody's llife, especially children. Some children, however, are affected by divorce on different levels than others. Their emotional stability becomes more fragile, and tthey start to experience fear and anxiety. They experience fear of abandonment by their parents and sometimes are diagnosed with Anxiety Disorders due to the separation from their parents.The children of divorced parents also experience many physical health concerns. As stated in a recent article, "Following divorce, children are 50% more likely to develop health problems than children in two-parent families"("What Are"). This is because they are under so much stress, anxiety, and pressure. Many children feel that because their parents  are putting so much pressure on them by getting a divorce, they usually turn to something as a release,and for many children, that release sometimes is sex.