Half of all marriages in our country lead to divorce regardless of children. It is no wonder that these divorces affect the children in some way. Under certain circumstances, divorce is beneficial to the children and parents, but the effects will still be present. The effects can range from mildly increased aggression to suicide. However, these problems can be lessened or avoided through careful planning and the parents respecting each other and their children. It is the responsibility of the parents to ensure that their children maintain a healthy psyche after a divorce.
             Children respond to divorces with a vast array of emotions and actions. The initial tension between parents can lead children to believe that the divorce is somehow their fault. Responses depend primarily on the child's age and the amount of conflict in their parent's marriage. Infants cannot understand the complexities of divorce but instead react to the emotions of their parents. Elementary school children carry the heaviest burden. They feel pain and sadness that stems from their parents' divorce; however, they do not know how to understand or express their emotions. This confusion can lead to what is called acting. Sometimes it involves aggressiveness and incidents of delinquency. A University of New Hampshire document states that adolescents can suffer guilt and depression and may ever resort to suicide(http://ceinfo.unh.edu/Family/Documents/divorce.pdf). Children not only respond to the initial tension of a divorce but the aftermath as well. After the separation, the children can still be vulnerable to a variety of psychological ailments. The conflict between the separated parents displayed in front of their children can lead to lowered self-esteem, depression, and anger. A change in location because of divorce can also have mentally severe side effects that affect trust and attachment.
             The divorced parents can work together to minimize these effects....