Divorce
At about the age of 12 years old my parents entered into divorce. It was something that surprised me. I saw no signs of it coming but it happened. This was a major stressors in my life that turned my life up side down. I honestly don't think I really coped with it until I rededicated my life back to Christ in August 2006. Until them I just struggled with major issues of low self esteem and abandonment. I felt like I had no one. Until I met Jesus. I started to walk in Christ and was healed from unforgiveness and low-self esteem. I am free walking in liberty everyday! What I mostly remember during my parents divorce was the division that it caused between me and my sister. I was very close to my dad and she was very close to my mom and that caused problems once my dad was not in the house. I was forced to conform to somethings that I did not like. At one point I lost my identity and walked very lost for a long time. In Christ I have found who I am and the purpose God has given me and I am currently walking in it right now. I was given the vison of my daycare in December 2009 and I got my license in April 2010. So even though that was a stressor in my life I now look at my parents divorce as a light affliction that was only for a moment. Now I use my short cumming as a ministry tool for my children at the daycare. To God Be The Glory!
I also studied the divorce and effects on children in Australia. These are some facts I found very interesting. In the article "Divorce Rates in Ameica and Other Western Countries" it states:
"Since 1981 divorce rates, while fluctuating, have shown an increasing trend; there were 55,300 divorces granted in Australia in 2001, the highest number granted in the last 20 years. This was an increase of 5,400 on the number of divorces granted in 2000 and an increase of 13,900 on 1981. 17% of couples had divorced within the first five years of marriage, while a further 26% had divorced in the following five-year period. The most common single interval between marriage and divorce was between five and six years (6%). In 2001 the median duration of marriage to divorce was 12 years, up from 10 years in 1981". (Abs.gov.au)
Parkinson states "in Australia most children revert ot the care of the mother" (Parkinson, 2011). The effects of divorce are all the same across the world. Children are left to feel the most effects of this change and it is something that will have to be healed from. It is a long process but I am a witness that you can be free!
References:
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2011). " Divorce Rates in America and other Western Countries" www.divorceguide.com
Parkinson, Patrick (2011). "Shared Parenting:The New Frontier" Family Law and the Indissolubility of Parenthood.
It always saddens me when I receive my class roster and see how many of my children do not live with both parents. Now I understand there are some situations where it is truly in the child's best interest for the parents not to reside together. I also understand that there are some situations where it is best for the child not to have contact with a parent for safety reasons. I find it hard to fault a child that is being shuffled from one house to another when he or she forgets a folder, book, or homework. My heart goes out to the child who gets all excited about his or her noncustodial parent coming to see him or her and the plans falling through. Divorce is felt to the core by the child and it is the child that mourns that loss.
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