Divorce. This word has no shock value when mentioned in society today. In fact, it has become a common and acceptable outcome of couples who have found themselves in an unfulfilling marriage. Many hard and challenging decisions need to be faced when ending a marriage, but when children are involved the stakes are even higher. The divorce itself will affect kids, but how the situation is handled during and after the break up may determine the degree of emotional suffering of the children who have to endure this life-altering experience.
             Divorce is a relatively new social situation. Traditionally, divorce was considered a social taboo, and if someone desired a divorce they had to prove to the court that the marriage contained either physical or emotional abuse, adultery, or abandonment (Furstenberg and Cherlin 97). In the 1960's public opinion began to favor more relaxed divorce laws (American style 2), and in 1969 California became the first state to pass a no-fault divorce law. (Furstenberg and Cherlin 98). Between 1960 and 1980 the divorce rate grew almost 250 percent (Galston). I feel this may have been caused by a combination of the lenient divorce laws, more women being able to support themselves by entering the workforce, and the slow change of the public divorce opinion.
             How much has society's attitude changed? Well, in 1962 a group of women were asked if married couples with children should stay together even if they didn't get along and half said they should. The views altered when the same groups of women were asked the same question in 1985. Less than one in five of the women felt that couples should remain together for the sake of the children (Furstenberg and Cherlin 1).
             Because of the rise in divorce, more kids are growing up in a two-parent home. Every year more than a million youth become a product of divorce (Zinsmeister 1). If a child was born between 1970 and 1986, approxima...