1. By: Rachel Dibble
http://www.peoplerecords.com/divorce-records/

2. History:
• seventeenth century:
▫ Puritans decided marriage was a civil contract that
could be broken under certain circumstances
 adultery, cruelty, and long absence (At Issue: “Long
divorce”).
• 1800’s,
▫ almost all states enacted divorce laws and additional
grounds were granted (Trends in Divorce: “Divorce in
America”).
• 1900’s
▫ Over 55,000 marriages ended in divorce (Trends in
Divorce: “Divorce in America”).

3. What is Divorce and why does/did
mom and dad get one?
• -divorce is the legal and final dissolution of a
marriage.
• common problems that result into divorce are:
▫ They’re growing apart
▫ They feel unloved from the partner
▫ Unappreciated
▫ Finances
▫ Too much miscommunication
▫ Violent spouses
▫ (At Issue: “Divorce”)

4. Facts:
• Yes marriage vows usually include the phrase, “till
death do us part,” about half of all first marriages in
the U.S. end in divorce. That’s 50%!
(Divorce: Current Issues, 2010)
• age, education, and social class are factors
▫ ex) Likelihood of Divorce:
Who? More or less likely for divorce?
Older couples Less likely
Less educated (will have money More likely
problems)
Living with spouse before marriage More likely
▫ (Trends of Divorce: “Factors of Divorce”)

5. http://seniorjournal.com/Features.htm

6. U.S. compared to the rest of the world
http://www2.ed.gov/pubs/YouthIndicators/Demographics.html

7. Effects on Parents:
• Almost all divorced couples experience some of
the following emotional distress:
▫ Anxiety
▫ Fear
▫ Anger during and after divorce (Consequences of
Divorce: “Effects on Divorced Couples”).

8. Future expectations of successful
marriages:
http://captaincapitalism.blogspot.com/2011_10_01_archive.html

9. Habits of Parents After Divorce:
• Overeating
• Smoking All common up
• Increased drinking to 2 years after
• Sleeplessness the divorce.
• Nervousness
• All of the above can lead to
▫ Loss of friendships and increased isolation and
loneliness (A Kid’s Guide to Divorce).

10. Facts of the Effects on Children:
• Young people whose parents are divorced are
more likely to leave home earlier because of
family difficulties.
• Boys tend to suffer greater emotional and
psychological problems following a divorce than
do girls (Consequences of Divorce: “Effects on
Children”).

11. Effects On The Kids Of A Divorce:
• Low self-esteem
• Problems with relationships (trust issues)
• Feeling like they’re the problem
• Depression
• Problems coping with issues between parents
• Relocation between parents for certain periods
of time
• Being the “reporters” and “messengers” between
parents at visits.

12. Problems in kids and teens resulting from
bad handling of divorce from parents and
kids
• Sleep problems
• Poor concentration
• Trouble at school
• Drug or alcohol abuse
• Self-injury/cutting
• eating disorders
• Frequent angry or violent outbursts
• Withdrawal from loved ones
• Refusal of loved activities.
http://www.familylawcollaborativedivorce.co.uk/articles/children-divorce/

13. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Parent_Trap_%281998_film%29
What kids sometimes think during
or after their parents separate:
• Life doesn’t work like the movies.
▫ You won’t be able to change your parent’s minds
about the divorce
• You can’t fix your parent’s divorce
▫ Acting differently to get your parent’s to work
together won’t make the divorce go away (A Kid’s
Guide to Divorce: “Kids Can’t Fix Divorce”).
• “it’s not your fault.”
▫ Have you ever felt like it was your fault?

14. How can kids and parents work
together through a divorce?
• Parents leaving the kids
out of marital problems
• Talking together on:
▫ A visiting schedule (if not
already set in custody
claims)
▫ agreeing to work things out
and communicate
▫ Family counseling (with
both parents)
http://articles.nydailynews.com/2009-12-08/entertainment/17942984_1_parents-study-pediatrics

15. How can parents try to fix things before
the mention of divorce comes up?
• Marriage counseling
• Improve communication skills
▫ take time to discuss the problems and come up
with a comprable solution for BOTH people
• Desire:
▫ Nothing can get done or overcome if one or both
people in the relationship don’t want it to work, or
don’t try to make it better

16. Marriage counseling funny:
http://www.cartoonstock.com/directo
ry/c/conflicting_occupations.asp

17. What you should know as of today:
• “I believe essays”
 For those of you who suffer from a divorced family,
and whether your situation is good or a bit harder
than others, please remember, you’re NOT alone.

18. Family is always there, but with family
issues, you sometimes need your second
family, whether you’re
Young ...or… Old
http://clarelafferty.wordpress.com/2 http://mindofmyown-supernova.blogspot.com/2011/01/friends-
011/08/26/the-value-of-friends/ forever.html

19. Citations:
• "Divorce." Current Issues: Macmillian Social Science Library. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Gale
Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 22 Dec. 2011.
• "Changes in U.S. Marriage and Divorce Since 1960." Encyclopedia of Sociology. 2nd ed. New
York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2010. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 22 Dec.
2011.
• ProQuest Staff. "At Issue: Divorce." ProQuest LLC. 2011: n.pag. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web.
22 Dec 2011.
• "Archived: Youth Indicators, 1993 - Demographics and Family Composition." U.S. Department
of Education. National Center for Health Services, 1990. Web. 10 Jan. 2012.
<http://www2.ed.gov/pubs/YouthIndicators/Demographics.html>.
• Pew Research Center. "Senior Journal - Features." Senior Citizen News and Information Daily
On The Web at SeniorJournal.com. Pew Research Center, 15 Dec. 2011. Web. 10 Jan. 2012.
<http://seniorjournal.com/Features.htm>.
• Capitalism, Captainn. "October 2011." Captain Capitalism. Captain Capitalism, 8 Oct. 2011.
Web. 10 Jan. 2012. <http://captaincapitalism.blogspot.com/2011_10_01_archive.html>.
• Block, Jocelyn, Gina Kemp, Melinda Smith, and Jeanne Segal. "Children and Divorce: Helping
Your Kids Cope with the Effects of Separation and Divorce." Helpguide Helps You Help
Yourself to Better Mental and Emotional Health. Oct. 2011. Web. 10 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.helpguide.org/mental/children_divorce.htm>.
• People Records. "Divorce Records." Background Checks. People Records America's
Background Checks, 2007. Web. 10 Jan. 2012. <http://www.peoplerecords.com/divorce-
records/>.
• Wikipedia contributors. "Parent Trap." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free
Encyclopedia, 3 Aug. 2008. Web. 11 Jan. 2012.

20. • Sharp, Richard. "Bath Divorce Solicitors : Sharp Family Law : UK Collaborative
Law & Family Mediation : England Civil Partnerships & Cohabitation : Children
& Divorce : Family Law Collaborative Divorce Blog." Family Law Collaborative
Divorce Blog : Bath Divorce Solicitors : Sharp Family Law : UK Collaborative
Law & Family Mediation : Bristol, Swindon & Southern England. Richard
Sharp, 16 Sept. 2009. Web. 10 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.familylawcollaborativedivorce.co.uk/articles/children-divorce/>.
• Chernikoff, Leah. "Too Late for Birds and Bees? Many Parents Give 'the Talk'
after Teens Become Sexually Active - New York Daily News." Featured Articles
From The New York Daily News. Daily News Staff, 8 Dec. 2009. Web. 10 Jan.
2012. <http://articles.nydailynews.com/2009-12-
08/entertainment/17942984_1_parents-study-pediatrics>.
• Kohl, Joe. "Conflicting Occupations Cartoons and Comics." CartoonStock -
Cartoon Pictures, Political Cartoons, Animations. Cartoon Stock. Web. 10 Jan.
2012.
<http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/c/conflicting_occupations.asp>.
• Lafferty, Clare. "The Value of Friends « Random Thoughts from Scripture."
Random Thoughts from Scripture. Clare Lafferty, 26 Aug. 2011. Web. 10 Jan.
2012. <http://clarelafferty.wordpress.com/2011/08/26/the-value-of-friends/>.
• Supernova. "F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Forever." Mind of My Own. Google Images, 26 Jan.
2011. Web. 10 Jan. 2012. <http://mindofmyown-
supernova.blogspot.com/2011/01/friends-forever.html>.
• "A Kids Guide To Divorce." KidsHealth - the Web's Most Visited Site about
Children's Health. Michele New, Jan. 2011. Web. 10 Jan. 2012.
<http://kidshealth.org>.