The Impact Of Divorce On Children
Over the last couple of decades the rate of marriages that end in divorce has been steadily increasing. There are a significant amount of impacts that divorce has on children of any age. Some of the most common impacts that divorce has on children include the fact that children tend to start to blame themselves for the divorce, there is a feeling of uncertainty in elements of life that were previously concrete, there are behavioral issues that arise, and there often becomes a challenge to balance the feeling of stability between the separate parents. These are just a few of the most common challenges that children face when presented with the reality of divorce in the family.
Children look to their parents for comfort, strength, support, and stability. When parents of children of any age make the decision to get divorced then there becomes the question of what is forever, and what will become wavering. While there are many people who go through divorce these days, there are also many children who suffer from the impacts of divorce on their mind and emotions. One of the most common impacts of divorce on children is the element of the child feeling like it is his or her fault. No matter how many times parents try to explain what is happening and why it is happening, many children tend to take accountability for the divorce internally. The child fears that it is because he or she misbehaved, or because he or she was “bad” at one point or another. This is because of the fact that most often when raising children, parents tend to try to correlate bad behavior with consequences. Therefore, when there are consequences, the child correlates the perceived punishment with bad behavior. Divorce is a confusing and challenging event for everyone involved. When parents get divorced, the child starts to feel unsure about elements of his or her life that he or she had never questioned before. Furthermore, the child will typically begin to act out in violent or negative behaviors in an effort to process the feelings of sadness, anger, and disappointment.
There are some very serious impacts on children when parents make the decision to get divorced. Some of the most challenging impacts include the fact that children tend to start to blame themselves for the divorce, there is a feeling of uncertainty in elements of life that were previously concrete, there are behavioral issues that arise, and there often becomes a challenge to balance the feeling of stability between the separate parents.