Can divorce be a good thing

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July 5, 2008

Anonymous The Enid News and Eagle Sat Jul 05, 2008, 10:21 PM CDT

Divorce affects about one million children each year in the United States. An old saying is that parents should stay together for the kids, even if the parents are not happy.

Sixty-one percent of Oklahomans think that parents who don’t get along should divorce. Thirty percent think that couples who are not in love anymore should divorce.

Research has found when parents hurt each other through abuse or frequent arguing, a divorce can be better for the kids. But most marriages that end in divorce are not these high-conflict marriages.

Many U.S. divorces happen when couples feel they are not in love or are unhappy together. These couples believe they would be happier apart. Many parents do not want to model an unhappy marriage for their kids, so they choose divorce. However, the kids may not see the marriage as unhappy. They often are surprised by the divorce and do not understand why it happened.

Many couples experience tough times, but are able to turn their relationship around and find happiness together down the road.

An unexpected divorce can hurt kids in many ways:

• Acting out

• Teen pregnancy

• Health problems

• Low self-esteem

• Mental health problems as an adult

• Getting in trouble with the law

• Dropping out of school

• Low income

Information from www.okmarriage.org

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Can divorce be a good thing

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