The Consequences for Teens of Divorced Parents

Divorce is a growing issue in society. Courtesy of Google images.

Searcy, Ark., (LP) — Love can be a beautiful thing, but there’s a 50% chance it will end up in the toilet, according to the book Divorce Poison by Richard Warshak. Of course couples go through issues such as money problems, infidelity, lack of communication, or even just not even wanting to get married in the first place. Love does not always survive in most cases. Some famous couples have even broken some of their fans hearts by splitting their picture perfect marriage like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, Future and Ciara, and Scott Disick and Kourtney Kardashian. Over 80% of divorces involve children. 

Being a teenager with divorced parents can be a stressful situation. The teen feels like they have to pick between the parents without getting them mad. Over 50% of teens have divorced parents and around 40% have a bad relationship with one parent due to their choice. It adds to the teens stress. Typical teenagers have to worry about their jobs, grades, social life, and family life. Therapist Kelly Sheffield stated, “One teen has enough to worry about so divorce between two parents can cause serious consequences.” If a teen is struggling with suicidal issues, depression, or anxiety and their parents get divorced, that could progress into serious consequences.

Lots of issues can cause a divorce. Something as big as cheating to as little as weight gaining can be the factor of divorce. Lauren Smith explained that being a student with divorced parents threw her “off guard” because it was too difficult for her at times. She says that you can never see a divorce coming. It can randomly happen and catch you completely off guard. At least that was her situation anyways.  It can cause some teens to do poorly in school and even be distant from others, including their friends. 

When it comes to telling the kids about the divorce, it is imperative to tell them at that moment. It’s important to make sure the facts are straight-forward to the kids, and to also disclose the news as a couple rather than separate so the situation is more comfortable for the kid. It is crucial to the kid to realize that the divorce is not caused by them. Preparing kids for divorce is one of the most important parts of divorce. Parents should make sure to be straight-forward, yet be gentle with the news. Millions of teenagers go through this experience, so they need to know that there are healthy ways to deal with it.

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