While there are many experts who agree that the best home for a child is with both of their parents, we all know that life does not work that way. There are homes that have just one parent, that have parents and caregivers, and homes that have no biological parents present.
This is the truth of life, and that is that “family” comes in many forms, and there is not one that is the right way. Every family is working with their environment, and what works well for them. Work has been done to normalize the fact that families will always look different, but divorce continues to have a stigma attached to it.
The divorce rates have been rising in the US, and this is not something that can be ignored. This means that it is important that we look at divorce, and we see the impacts it has on children. If we look at the impacts, we can see where we need to work, and a part of that may mean normalizing divorce across the world.
It Is Better For Them
It may seem like something that shouldn’t be true, but it is, and that is that divorce is not always a bad thing for children. According to Your Cooper on Instagram, a couple staying in a marriage that is not working can do more harm to a child’s well-being than divorce. Couples who are not working are typically constantly fighting and bickering, and there is an air of tension.
As good as parents try and “hide” it from their children, they can typically feel the effects of it, and this is what can be damaging to their mental health and well-being. Normalizing divorce can help a couple be ‘Ok’ with co-parenting, since they know it may be better for their children.
It Can Help The Parents Mental Health
While parents may be concerned about the impacts divorce will have on their children, they can't ignore the impact it has on them. According to Island Parent, parents who get a divorce can feel a lot of guilt about it. They may feel like they didn’t try enough, or that they “failed” their child, and this can take a toll on their mental health.
A parent who is struggling is not going to be able to parent to the best of their ability, and when the world normalizes divorce, it can help to lift some of these feelings of guilt off a parent's shoulders, and this can help the family as a whole.
Resilience
When the world thinks about divorce, they often think about what children are losing, but they forget to think about what their children are gaining through divorce. According to Family Means, children will go through a period of transition when it comes to divorce, and it will come with its own challenges and struggles, but it can also teach resilience.
Children are naturally resilient, and this has been known for some time, but going through a divorce can build that resiliency into adulthood. This is only possible when divorce is not seen as a “dirty secret” that should be hidden from society.
Sources: Instagram via @your_cooper, Island Parent, Family Means