The Divorce of Parents Affects the Life of a Child Severely

1205 Words3 Pages

The divorce of parents affects the life of the child. One of the biggest issues of divorce is who the child lives with after the divorce. The separation can impact the child’s sense of security and stability. The two people upon whom the child depended on are no longer as available as they used to be. It can send the child back and forth between the two parents over various distances, leaving the child feeling confused or lost. A child’s sense of continuity is disrupted and this can often lead to serious psychological effects on the child. The topic of the effects on the child of relocation after divorce is growing in interest as there are more cases of divorce than ever before. Custodial parents sometimes want to relocate which can cause great stress for the child as well as the non-custodial parent. This essay will discuss the effects the relocation after divorce have on the child, the best interests of the child, the presumptions before the divorce trial, the impact of modern technology and the flaws in this research.
Divorce has many psychological effects on children. The parents are often oblivious to the child’s feelings as they are fighting their own battle with the ex-spouse or fighting the battle of custody of the child. Children usually have an unbiased approach to both parents and to witness the conflict between the ones they love has detrimental effect on the child. The degree of psychological effects depends on the age of the child. Children of ages 6 or lower tend to have less developed cognitive abilities which will increase as the child matures. At this age, children experience egocentrism which causes them to blame the divorce on themselves (Foulkes-Jamison, 2001). These children are emotionally dependent and will...

... middle of paper ...

...dial parent wants to relocate to escape the guilt they may feel or to start over. Depending on the situation, I believe that if the custodial parent has to relocate, it should be to an area close enough for the child to attend the same school and be around their old friends. Both parents have an equally influential impact on the child and therefore should both be present as often as possible. To maintain the child’s sense of stability and continuation, I think the custodial parent should remain in the previous house and the non-custodial parent should move out. If relocating far away from the non-custodial parent means protecting the child from something such as a violent parent, then I believe it is in the child’s best interest to relocate there. If there is not much conflict between the parents, I suggest parallel parenting as this is most beneficial for a child.

Open Document