Risky Business Final Essay

    A divorce can have both positive and negative effects on teens, but everyone responds to divorce differently. Some teenagers may find it better that their parents are separating because they will be able to spend concentrated time with each parent, the environment at home will be friendlier and the kids will grow to become independent. However, when parents separate the process of going through with a divorce is never an easy transition and some may find it difficult to withstand the thought of not having both parents in their household. While divorce may seem like a good thing for some teens, it is a rough and difficult experience for individuals who have a hard time coping; causing them to turn to drugs, negatively impacting their behaviors at home and performance in school.

    Although it may seem like with a divorce kids will spend concentrated time with each parent; time is limited. Time spent with your child is very important especially during the adolescent years in which parental support is most important, because they are exploring who they are. When parents divorce there is an inconsistency in their child's life. Therefore some teens begin to use drugs or alcohol to manage the feelings of confusion. According to scientists at the National Institute of Mental Health, adolescents with divorced parents are 4 times more likely to use drugs than teens who come from a family with both parents together.

    It is said that after a divorce, the home will be a friendlier environment for the kids because tension in the household will lessen. However, some teens will disobey orders and act up as a way to react to the divorce. Data collected by the National Health Interview Survey in 2012 proves that children of divorced parents will begin to retaliate and disrespect their parents to ease the pain they feel from the divorce. Parental divorce is associated with a greater likelihood of adolescents engaging in high-risk behavior. Therefore, divorce can put teens at high risk for harmful situations jeopardizing futures.

    Dissolving one's marriage not only affects a mother or a father, but their child's performance in school is also influenced. Some may say having a divorce will allow your child to become more independent because there is one less parent to remind them about their responsibilities. However, for the children who grow to become independent individuals, some more than others may become distracted by other factors taking away from them focusing on their education. According to research gathered by youth workers from a group called, "Understanding Teenagers," more than 25% of teenagers with divorced parents feel that they have to be independent because their parent is too depressed. Instead of focusing on their school work and receiving a good education, teens with divorced parents will become distracted by life at home causing them to underperform in school. In a study of 3, 500 children, those whose parents divorced between the sixth and seventh grade scored lower in math and have poorer inter-personal skills than those whose parents stayed married.

    Overall, the process of a divorce for every teen may vary but the majority of children of divorced parents mask what they are truly feeling. Depression, anger, frustration are just a few emotions that every adolescent will go through when their parents separate and these strong emotions can lead teens to retaliate against their parents as a way to cope with the pain and damages of the divorce.