In my new book I emphasize how important it is to help the young child with visiting, custody, and the other major changes in their lives. One half of children of divorce are 6 years old or younger at the time of the breakup. They are very frightened of being abandoned by both parents because a the breakup and for many months thereafter, parents are hardly available and household routines are in disarray. Moreover they conclude with irrefutable logic that if one parent can leave another, surely both parents can leave the children. They remember the years after the divorce as the loneliest, saddest time of their growing up.
Older children are concerned about their own powerlessness.
They feel like second-class citizens compares with the friends in intact families who can choose their own schedules and participate in their own summer plans without reference to court orders. Health care personnel need to receive the education that will enable them to provide proper guidance. For one thing, it shows that individuals can take responsibility to solve their own problems. I was amazed that she considers this attitude a problem. I can't think of a healthier attitude for anyone as they wrestle with the issue of choosing a potential life partner.