Joan Montemayor Eng. 102 1D1June 26, 2007 Prof. ChapmanEssay # 4

Divorce Marriage Concerning Children

The strongest influences on children are their parents. From the time they were infants,

parents see their children grow, and throughout those years, they help build the children’s

identity. No parent wishes for their children to experience the effects of a divorce; unfortunately,

today’s society has grown accustomed to broken families. Divorce can lead children to have a

stumbling path to adulthood. Having divorced parents is a crucial aspect for children to

overcome, because divorce can affect children’s well-being both emotionally and physically. The

fact of reality is, most children do not recover quickly from divorce, and they will suffer the

effects for years to come.

Every child hopes for a complete and happy family. Divorce brings many changes to a

child’s life. The first factor for children with divorced parents is stress. Children experience

stress because they cannot accept their parents’ divorce. Some children hope and pray their

parents will get back together as a big happy family. “Recently, Crowder and Teachman (2004)

found that the more often children in single parent families moved the more likely they were to

drop out of school or become pregnant during the teen years. In general, the more stressful

experience that child encounter during divorce the more difficulty they will have. There is also

evidence that indicates that children whose parents divorce more than once are worse off than

children who only experience one parental divorce” (Hughes 3). Losing a family member is hard

to accept, so feeling angry is normal. Children have the right to feel angry, because inside they

feels betrayed and rejected by one or both of their parents. Children’s trust slowly fades away,

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because he or she is confused about the outcome of his or her life. Adjusting to a new living style

can automatically bring difficulties for children.

Marital disruption can disengage children early in their education. The stress is already a

big factor to overcome for children, and school is going to be too much to handle. Children

experiencing divorced parents often begin to have problems with their grades in school.

According to research, “73% of children receive a high school diploma and another 12% receive

a General Equivalency Diploma (GED). Nevertheless, of the 15% who do not receive a high

school diploma, children from divorced families are about twice as likely to drop out of school as

children from two-parent families” (Arnold and Rodriguez 2). One possible reason why children

would separate is because parents do not excel in school. Parents do not have enough support to

help their children’s education. A divorced parent might not have time for his or her child,

because they are taking care of the financial needs. Being part of a complete family is significant

for children to grow maturely and to have someone they can look up to in the future.

In the long run, marital disruption can create negative behavioral problems in children.

They can lack self control and to take their aggression out on anybody. “Seven of the eight

studies that used nationally representative data, for example, found that children in single-parent

or other non-intact family structures were at greater risk of committing criminal or delinquent

acts. A study using Add-Health data found that even after controlling for race, parents' education,

and income, adolescents in single-parent families were almost two times more likely to have

pulled a knife or a gun on someone in the past year” (Franke 1). These delinquent children might

feel the demand of attention. They are lacking the love they need from their parents. When the

parents are fighting, the children can be influence by the negativity and disrespect their elders.

Distractible children find a new family in the streets by joining gangs to feel important and

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wanted. Children of divorced parents have a higher risk of substance abuse. Teenagers from

divorced families can be forced to be affiliated with criminal acts. Having no parental guidance,

teenagers may practice sexual activity at an early age. These are all negative behavioral problems

children and teenagers can encounter in a broken family.

Declining marriages can disrupt children’s lives; they become rebellious and embarrassed

about the situation. Children do not deserve to experience the pain of having no father or a

mother to guide them. When children from divorced families become adults, there is a chance

they will also experience divorce. The cause and effect of divorce can have negative

consequences for children. Children with separated parents may feel unwanted, and jealous with

his or her friend because they illustration a complete family. The evidence indicates family

structure matters to our generation.

In brief, family is important. Divorced parents do not give their children a good example.

People should realize marriage is not a joke, but rather, marriage is a serious matter for you, your

loved one, and for your children. All children should have a strong family structure to have a

better future. Families with a strong structure have built trust, and marriage should be the same.

Usually, the only person who hurts the most after a divorce, are the children.