Esmeraldaurias

Divorce

Maria Vega

Riverside Community College

Esmeralda Urias

EAR 20 Child Development and Growth

April 28, 2113

Divorce has always been a very controversial topic. Children can have many different experiences when parents are going through divorce. Some say it's better to be divorced, and others say it's better to be together “for the sake of the children”. Is it really better to stay together knowing you're unhappy and causing arguments around the children? Carl Pickhardt wrote an article “The Impact of Divorce on Young Children and Adolescents” where he states that children who's parents are going through a divorce should follow the three R's. Routines, rituals, and reassurance. According to Carl Pickhardt, these are the key to a child's development when dealing with divorce. When the child see's that both parents are happier separated then they were together then he or she feels less stress on themselves. A lot of children often believe that the divorce is all there fault. Parents who fight in front of children try to resolve this problem by not speaking around each other, when a child is present. This can be just as bad, as children do not see healthy communication between both parents. When parents separate, the child can have better communication and have one on one time to hear what each parent has to say. Open communication with a child is essential. There are many way's that divorce can benefit both parents life without having a bad development issue with the child or children.

The three R's can dramatically help a child who's parents are divorcing. Having a set routine where the child knows when a parent is coming over or pick them up from school is important. When both parents set a routine it shows that there is open communication and that the child can still depend on both parents even though one parent wont be there all the time like before. This ties in with a child and his or her reassurance from each parent. Reassurance that even...