Surviving the Divorce
There are no easy answers to what is best for anyone's family because every child is a unique challenge and every family situation has a different set of parameters. I, personally, am not a product of divorced parents. In fact, until my divorce, I had little if any exposure to what many call a broken family situation. Being from the "other side of the fence," I can tell you that families that are successful generally don't think there is a chance in the world for a child whose parents are divorced. However, I beg to differ.
Single parents or not, the key to a happy child is in giving them attention, expressing their positives, and showing them love. Personally, I feel that kids raised by loving, attentive single parents have a more realistic view of life. Being a single adult, holding a job, and providing a family environment is not easy. However, if you try hard enough, you can make it happen! Like it or not; You are under the scope of your children. Your hard work and determination in surviving will be appreciated both now and down the road by your children. Through hardship comes knowledge. If you can succeed to keep your life happy, your children will be the better for it. I wouldn't want to suggest that kids raised in single parent families are better off than traditional families, but it does seem that a child would be stronger in personality from a life that began as a struggle than one that was just handed to them. Not all single parent families face these issues, and many two parent families face them also. Regardless of the situation, if a person learns to work for what they want they will appreciate it more when they get it.
Don't Give Up!
For the parents, the struggle never seems to end. The time and financial constraints are always something that will be worried about. Find other people in your same situation and discuss your fears. You will be surprised to find that most other people have lost many nights of sleep over the same problems. Don't sit and mope at home. Go out and visit with your friends. Strive to be active in some way. Nothing's worse than being by yourself, and having no options of things to do or places to go. The first step might just be picking up the phone and calling someone just to say hello. Find other single parents and spend time with them. As I said before, everybody's situation is unique. However, if you look and listen into other peoples situations you may find one or two things you can modify in your life to help make things easier for you and your family. Join a local support group, if only for a while, they can be great places to learn how to go on and make it through every day. No matter what anyone ever tells you, remember one thing: It only takes two to make a family!
This space will soon be filled with more on how to survive the pain of divorce.
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