The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of divorce on children. I did not choose the topic of divorce simply because my parents are divorced. Rather, I am interested in understanding divorce as a prevalent element that will continue to greatly shape our society, along with our values. Even though I know first hand the extent to which children's lives change after a divorce, there remain many aspects unexplored. Personally, I am curious to explore long term effects of divorce, though I find the other more immediate effects interesting as well as. .
Being the product of parents who divorced, I felt that I personally understood the extent in which divorce affects children. It is a common belief in our society that divorce causes children to spend far less time with one or even both of the parents. I can recall the frustration that the poorly planned court ordered visitation would cause. I often felt as if I spent more time being driven back and forth between my parents" homes, than the time I actually spent seeing them. Legal bills, caused by divorce proceedings, required both of my parents to put more hours in at the office.
On the other hand, a divorce puts an end to a child having to witness endless arguments between parents. However, even severing the relationship between the parents does not prevent the child from hearing one parent slander the other, which often causes resentment toward the parent. Typically, each parent tries to contend for the child's affection. The new life caused by a divorce often causes a dread to sweep over a child as one ponders that life will never be the same again. The truly vexing question is that if about half of all marriages result in a divorce, how many children are permanently affected by the separation?.
I immediately began my search in the school library. Through earlier experiences I believed the Internet would turn up the most useful resources.
