In today’s society, divorce rates are at an all time high. For every one thousand people that get married, thirty-four people end up in divorce (Billota, 2010). People get so caught up in the divorce itself, and how two individuals are breaking the vows they made to each other; they neglect the affect that the separation has on the rest of their families. The children are innocent victims when it comes to divorce. Children have no so-say in what happens in their households; yet, how children feel and deal with the divorce goes a long way. With the proper outlets, children of broken homes can maintain regular social skills without the distraction of what’s going on in their homes wavering their behavior. So, the big idea is to have the children of divorced parents be required to attend a program that would help them in dealing with the divorce. The purpose of the program is to allow the children to have a safe place to be, while at the same time, be able to get away from the tension in their homes. While in this program, the children are encouraged to express their feelings freely, without worrying about their parents feelings. This program will be an escape route to make the children feel at ease. It is important that the children comprehend that they are not responsible for their parents’ divorce. The children will be required to attend this program for an initial six months. During this time, psychiatrist will be evaluating the children’s behavior, in an attempt to figure out the best solution for each individual child. Each gender is found to express their feelings on divorce differently. Boys tend to be more aggressive; while girls are more likely to go through depression. Divorce tends to have a major affect on the parent-child relationship because of the lack of support each parent has for each other. Through this lack of spousal support, the children often deal with the unintentional backlash of the frustration that their parents exhibit due to their current marital problems. Because the parents are lost in their own situation, they tend to miss the subtle queues that their children are also frustrated with the complications of their home life. Some of the emotions that children go through are namely; sadness, fear, grief, lower education achievement, and they tend have increased absences in school (Hopper, 1997). Some effects that children have due to divorce are both emotional and physical damage. The emotional damage stems from the fact that some children suffer from psychological problems, tend to keep to themselves, are unhappy, anxious, and insecure with themselves because of the tension between their parents(Billota, 2010). The physical damage that occurs to some children of divorce is created by the child themselves in an attempt to get the attention of their parents. Some children feel that they can push their parents back together if something that they both care about has become jeopardized, namely themselves. The children put it on themselves to single handedly be the bond that keeps their parents together. The goal of the program will be to prevent the children from having emotional, physical, and long term effects due to the divorce. This program will allow the children to deal with the reality of their parents going through a divorce in an environment that caters to their needs, but emotionally and physically. Children will no longer have to be embarrassed nor have low self-esteem due to their recent tragic life change in their home environment. By surrounding the children with others that are currently going through the same thing or have previously been in their shoes, the program allows the children to see that they are not alone in their situation. This program will be funded by the state in which the child lives in. Depending on the income of the parents, the fee of this program can be inexpensive. This can range anywhere from $20 up to $100 a month. If the parents exceed the monthly income, the parents will have to come out of pocket to pay for the program. This fee is not covered by the insurance carrier held through the parents’ employers. In conclusion, this program will have both positive short term and long term effects on the children. These children will benefit tremendously by attending this program. Children get caught in the middle and end up being innocent victims in their own homes. No child should ever experience the feeling of being alone in such a tragic situation.

References-

Bilotta, L. (2010). 18 Shocking Statistics About Children and Divorce . Larry Bilotta's Marriage Success Secrets. Retrieved June 12, 2012, from http://www.marriage-success-secrets.com/statistics-about-children-and-divorce.html

Developed by, R. h. (2012). Divorce: Effects on Children. CRS - Pediatric Advisor, 1.

Karuppaswamy, N., & Myers-Walls, Ph.D., CFLE, J. A. (2010). The Effect of Divorce on Children: What Makes a Difference. Provider-Parental Partnerships. Retrieved June 12, 2012, from http://www.extension.purdue.edu/providerparent/family-child%20relationships/effectdivorce.htm