In 1998, over a quarter of families with children chose to divorce, despite the negative effects on children. And in the past four years, the rate has continued to increase at an alarming rate. As our society more commonly accepts these break-up of marriage vows, the sacredness of them has continued to lose credibility. When this is the example set by adults, children do not view marriage as 'a sacred union of souls,' but they view it as something that can be thrown away without regard. With the divorce rate increasing every year, generations of children who were included in these divorces have now grown up and have provided the information about the long term effects divorce has on children. Also, many polls and surveys in recent years have provided us with the connection between the world of divorce and its effects on children. Increases in divorce can be correlated with increases in areas such as teen pregnancy, unmarried but living together couples, and juvenile delinquency rates. Divorce has strong negative effects on the development of children because they lack a role model (usually male), fail to have a structure by which to base their future relationships and receive less guidance and attention from parents.
             The ability to make a child is far simpler than the complex responsibility of raising one. The parents are primarily responsible for providing the guidance and structure of their child's life, and that is why it is so important that both a male and female role models be present. It is through the parents that a child develops a sense of who they are and who they should be. "In 1997, 28% of marriages with children ended in divorce, 82% of the time the children ended up with the mom while only 18% end up living with the dad. This was an increase from 1970 when 11% of marriages with children ended in divorce, 91% lived with the mother, and only 9% lived with the father." In both cases, the majority of children lost th...