Divorce causes problems for all family members involved. The film "The Parenthood" illustrates a divorce in which this is exceptionally true. Helen's divorce instigates something to be lost in each of the family member's lives. The divorce triggers Helen to lose a companion, Julie loses a disciplinarian, and Gary loses a male role model. Divorce causes something to be lost in the lives of all the family members involved. These losses in turn caused problems that hindered healthy development.
             The divorce for Helen meant the loss of a companion. To cope with this she tried to find companionship in her children. This made parenting and discipline difficult. Helen had a lot of stress and issues herself, and had no one to really share it with or help her through it. "It's not easy for parents to lay down the law after divorce. Not only are they emotionally exhausted, they're reluctant to come down too hard on a child who has been through the breakup" (Fredericks 1). There are reports that show that single parents show lower levels of monitoring and discipline than married parents do. Single parents also seem to make fewer demands on the children and utilize less effective disciplinary strategies (Simons et al. 1). Helen's daughter Julie does not listen to her. She continues to have a relationship with Todd disregarding her mother's advice. Helen also has relatively no jurisdiction over Gary he never listens to her or talk to her about troubles he is having. !
             Research has shown that males have a greater tendency to have behavioral problems than females. It may be that males understand the danger of low parental control and interpret it as an absence of parental concern and caring (Simon et al. 10). Helen's lack of discipline and effective parenting was caused by her want of companionship in her children. This effected Helen and her children in a negative manner.
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