Divorce and the Effects on Children

Recently I wrote an argumentative research paper about divorce and the effects on children for my English class. It has been really interesting and sad. Children are greatly affected by divorce through many ways; for example, depression and anxiety are commonly seen in children. Not only do these two aspects affect them as children, but as well as in their adult lives. Having divorced parents can be very difficult in their adult lives too because many uncomfortable situations come up in which too much stress is placed on the whole family. Often times divorced parents place stress on their children when they don’t mean to and sometimes they even do not notice it.

I think that people should think hard about their choices and take into account how it might affect others before they take action. If parents are considering divorce they should do everything they can possibly do to try and resolve the situation. Some make decisions too hastily without giving a lot of thought to their choices. Children can and will be impacted by the parents' actions so they should think twice before they act.

Parenting

Parenting---It can help us:
- Develop patience
- Teach us
- Develop inter-generational patterns
- Change our relationship with God
- Become selfless

"The purpose of parenting is to protect and prepare our children to survive and thrive in the world."

Children need Contact/Belonging

Often, some children do not receive the attention that they need growing up. To be able to meet the needs of children we need to offer affection freely! Hug, touch, and smile often. :) Also, create opportunities for the child to contribute. For example the child can help with chores, errands, and helping others. It would also be good to get the child involved with teams or clubs.

Children need LOVE. I believe that this is the most important thing we can give to a child. They need to be loved. If they do not receive the appropriate amount of attention they need then it can affect their mental growth during childhood. 

For the Mothers

I recently read an article for class about stay at home moms. It argued that even though moms have the stereotypical role of doing house work, there are also many opportunities in which they are able to do other tasks which enhance their learning. For years moms have been stereotyped as women who clean the kitchen, make dinner, do the laundry, iron clothes, pick up the kids, and clean up after everyone. This is what most mothers do but it doesn't mean that they don't have any other important roles.

Mothers have the role of teaching their children. As moms teach they can learn. As the kids grow older they will come home from school with more challenging questions. This gives moms the chance to research the question and learn about the topic themselves before teaching.

In most communities there are additional opportunities for mothers to continue in learning. For example, volunteer work, online classes, book clubs, etc. No only can you learn so much from these things but they are fun too! In addition, I'm sure there are many resources for moms to find a good book to read or watch an intelligent t.v. show or movie. Stay at home moms may spend a lot of time at home but that doesn't mean that all they are doing is house work.

So, here's to my mom, the most intelligent woman I know. She taught me everything I know now and for that I will always be grateful.

My mom. :)

Preparing for Children

This week I learned how marriages usually decline as each child is born and as the children leave the house the marriages get better. There are many ways to prevent the decline of marital satisfaction from happening. One way that I really liked is to prepare before the child is even born.
Here are a few things to do before a child is born:

• Involve the husband in prenatal check ups

• Engage the father in bonding events (like when the baby kicks)

• Make sure the father takes precedence over others during the birth. This one is very important because when the child is born the father will not get as much    attention as he did before. It seems kind of silly but it is true. So ensuring that he is put first over all other family members is very important. 
• Discuss specific changes that will happen when the baby is born. Doing this will help prepare couples better so they can understand what adjustments will need to be made.

I think that all of these tips described are very important to do and I definitely will involve my future husband in my pregnancies using these suggestions.