Introduction
The divorce of parents is, perhaps, the most devastating thing that children are made to go through at a tender age. Children, who had been used to being attended by both their parents, and being close to both their parents suffer a lot of inconveniences and heartbreak after their parents become divorced.
The inconveniences are mostly the fact that they no longer see the other parent as frequently as they used to, and they do not see their parents spending time together. In other cases, the children may be left to live life at a lower financial level than they did with both parents. This paper is an analysis of an article on the effects of divorce in children.
Critical review of article
This article made me aware of a number of facts I either did not know, or facts that I have been ignorant about. For example, the stated fact that after the end of the Second World War, there was an increase in the rates of divorce, which was followed by a decrease in the rates of divorce shortly after. It is also stated that divorce rates were high in the 60’s and 70’s, and that they declined in the 80’s (Chowdhry 1).
This information has helped in changing one misconception about marriage I have held for long. This is the misconception that divorce rates are always increasing with time. I also did not know that some young children may end up, genuinely, blaming themselves for the divorce of their parents. This is, perhaps, a point that has helped to make me realize just how devastating a divorce can be to the children.
There are a number of points on which I tend to differ with the writer. The writer mentions that after the divorce of their parents, adolescents become depressed and start abusing drugs (Chowdhry 1). It is true that adolescents become irresponsible after the divorce of their parents, and thus some adolescents may actually become drug addicts.
However, different adolescents have different response mechanisms. Some may just become overly defensive without using drugs while others may start disobeying their parents in other ways. With this argument, it is apparent that not all divorce cases make adolescents to use drugs.
One of the things that the writer has missed out in her article is the fact that a divorce does not necessarily lead to children living with their mother. This is an important point to note, especially because of the custody battles that occur after a divorce. The parents may engage in court cases whereby they battle over the custody of their children.
If the children become aware of this custody battle, they will indubitably be affected. Cases where the father ends up being in custody of the children have not been adequately exploited. In such cases, fathers may remarry bringing more problems to the children.
Also missing in the discussion is an explanation of the discussed historical dynamics of divorce rates. The writer mentions that divorce rates were high after WW2, in the 70’s and in the 60’s, and low in the 80’s but there is no explanation for the reasons behind this. This lack of substantiation leaves the reader in suspense, not knowing what to make of the changes in the divorce rates mentioned.
Conclusion
As evidenced in the discussion above, divorce is a very devastating occurrence for children of the divorced. Therefore, any couple intending to become divorced should ensure that they consider several ways in which they can mitigate the effects that their divorce will have on their children. This way, the effects of the divorce on the children will be minimal, and children can continue with their normal lives after the divorce.
Works Cited
Chowdhry, Meera. “Effects of Divorce on Children”. 2002. Web.