The institution of marriage is very important for the normal growth and development of a child. As a child grows, it needs the attention of both father and mother in various social and economic contexts. It also learns a lot from the father and the mother about its own identity and how to lead a better future life. It is unfortunate that almost half of all marriages in the United States often end up in divorce. According to a study by Arnett, a number of factors have been cited as the cause of the growing cases of divorce in the country (43). The study shows that the growing trend in cases of divorce is largely attributed to the women empowerment in this country. In the past, cases of divorce were rare because women were often …show more content…
However, it is important to come up with ways of protecting children whose parents have divorced. A study by Ragusa shows that children who are raised by divorced parents often undergo unique challenges during their development (51). They struggle to understand why their parents have to live apart, unlike what they see in other families. Without the protection of both parents, sometimes these children are subjected to physical and verbal abuse by those who are close to them. Such troubling upbringing may have devastating impact on the development of a child. A boy-child needs the presence of the father to know how to behave as a man and take care of a family in the future. Similarly, a girl-child needs the presence of a mother to know how to take care of her husband and family in future. When a child is single parented, it is important for them to get attention of the other parent as regularly as possible. The environments within which these children grow often define who they become as adults. According to Deal and Olson, the social background of a child defines its academic and social development (28). Some of these children grow up to become serial killers such as Aileen Wuornos who was abandoned by the father and abused by close relatives. In this policy proposal paper, the researcher seeks to find a way in which children with …show more content…
The researcher refers to this document as an Agreement to Collecting Responsibility and Rights of Parents (ACRRP) paper. ACRRP defines the rights and responsibility that both parents will have towards their children after the divorce. In this document, both parents will commit to be present as often as possible in the lives of their children after divorce. If the mother is given custody of the children, she must allow the father to visit his children on a regular basis. She must always let the children know who their biological father is even if she decides to remarry. If possible, the father should be allowed to spend time with his children on a regular basis to understand their fears and aspirations in life. The parents will also be required to explain to the child the reason why the parents are not staying together. On the other hand, the father will be expected to make regular and reasonable payment towards the children’s upbringing and education. Although this is a clause that already exists under the current family laws, it should be reemphasized in this document. The same rules and regulations apply to the mother in case it is the father who is granted custody of the children. An assurance by both parents to the children that their fears and needs will be addressed