What does " "till death do us part" really mean these days in our society? It seems as though marriage is not really taken seriously these days. A lot of people think "let's try it out, and if it doesn't work we can get a divorce." We see this behavior especially among actors and actresses. We can name all of Elizabeth Taylor's husbands before we can name the movies she was in. We often see actors and actresses going in and out of marriages. Although this may be to deal with for the people involved in the relationship, it is especially hard for the children in the family. Children are mentally and emotionally affected by a divorce regardless of what the parents might think. Studies have shown that children with divorced parents are more likely to have some sort of emotional problems later in life because of the stresses a divorce may bring to them (Crouch). .
There are many factors in a divorce that bring stress to the children in a crumbling marriage. According to Robert Hughes, children experience a great fear of change throughout the divorce because the family they once knew will now be different. The children now have to change their life styles to accommodate new circumstances such as the following: schedules which include new homework, mealtimes, and bedtime routines. A physical move may be in order once the parents no longer live together, resulting in a loss of contact with family, friends, classmates and a familiar environment. Hughes suggests that this in turn may lead to loss of attachment (Hughes). Attachment is a lasting emotional relationship that begins in infancy, and carries out throughout the teenage years and serves to tie the person to one or more people in his or her life (Gonzalez, p.6). .
Changes in the amount of contact children have with their parents, brothers, sisters, and pets can cause some distress. Having a different bedroom and being away from familiar possessions also create stress.
