It used to be that parents would stay in loveless relationships until death literally parted them, often subjecting their children and family to constant arguments, conflict and misery. A new study actually proves that parents with severe conflict in their relationship may actually do more harm than good when it comes to their kids if they stay together.
According to the study conducted by Montclair State University in New Jersey, a survey of children from divorced families showed that after suffering a year or two of difficult adjustment, most of them fared better as adults than children whose high conflict parents did not divorce.
The longer kids are exposed to high levels of conflict, the more difficult it is for them to form meaningful personal relationships, and many may often wind up divorced themselves.
As much as we loathe the idea of disappointing or hurting our children, especially in breaking up their family atmosphere, it may actually do them more good in the long run to dissolve a family in conflict.
As a divorced mother to a teenage girl, I can tell you firsthand: kids bounce back. Sometimes getting a divorce is the best thing you can do for them, as it provides them with more stable parental relationships that don’t make them feel as if they’re caught in a hurricane.