Few incidents in life are as severely life altering as divorce is. The sudden upheaval and change in something that has always been a constant in a child's life can have many negative effects. Judith Wallerstein states in her essay "The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce" that although many people believe divorce does not affect children, there is evidence it can have lasting effects, many of which can last through adulthood.
One of the first effects divorce can have on a child happens during the initial breakup. Sometimes children will feel responsible for the divorce and they may feel abandoned (Wallerstein, 69). Sometimes the child might think of things they could of done differently in order to keep their family together. They may blame their bad behavior or their asking for too many things as a reason why their parents are divorced. The children also can develop beliefs that the tie between a man and woman can easily be broken. They also can believe that the ties with their parents can also be just as easily broken (70). .
Researchers have also said that adolescence starts early in children of divorced families compared to children who come from intact families (71). Children in divorced families often have more responsibilities at a younger age and therefore tend to grow up more quickly than children from intact families. Also, with the single parents working, they usually don't have as much time to spend at home with the child so the child may feel that they have no one to talk to because someone is not home as much so they tend to keeps things inside instead of expressing them. There is also evidence of earlier sexual experiences in girls from divorced families, and for both boys and girls there is a higher rate of alcohol and drug use (71). They worry about following in their parent's footsteps and worry that they too will fail in their relationships (71). .
But it is in adulthood where the children are impacted by the divorce the most.
