Friday, September 28, 2012

Children's "Rights?"

The website, childrenanddivorce.com, posted a list of the "rights" of children who are going through a divorce. The privileges are taken from the book Don't Divorce Your Children and state that, "recognizing these rights is the key to healthy and joyful post-divorce relationships with children." I've listed them below:
--A lasting relationship with both parents
--Number one status in their parents' lives 
--Parental cooperation throughout the divorce 
--Truthful answers to their questions 
--Relief from feelings of guilt and blame
--Freedom from interparental hostility
--Attention to their thoughts and feelings 
--Input into the visitation schedule 
--Privacy in communication with family and friends 
--No displacement by competing relationships
--No requirement to parent their parents
--Freedom from the role of messenger
--No coercion to keep secrets 
--An understanding of the divorce agreement






Some I agree with, others I believe are controversial. The one's that I think are debatable are colored in red, the one's I believe are idealistic yet unattainable are colored in blue, and the points in black are givens. 

Parental cooperation throughout the divorce and truthful answers to the children's questions are harsh, difficult to understand and confusing. Divorce should be explained in a way that allows the child to grasp it without thinking differently of either parent. "Why are you getting divorced?" asked the five-year-old to her mother. "Because your father cheated on me," she replied. A child who is five years of age should not know what that means or think illy of her father at such an age. Being completely honest with your children is not always the greatest thing to do. Throughout the divorce process it's important to hold back some of the truth from your children. 

Privacy and communication with family and friends and an understanding of the divorce agreement are idealistic pursuits. I don't think they're obtainable, however, if the child is a younger age. The child isn't going to understand why mommy is moving out or why daddy has an apartment away from home. An understanding of the divorce agreement would require an extreme amount of maturity that most children do not possess. Privacy should be a right to all people as well, but if a child's mom or dad hears him or her speaking on the phone about the divorce, they're going to eavesdrop. Who wouldn't want to know what their child thinks of the divorce and what he or she is telling her friends about it? 

Do you think all of these points are "rights"? Do you find any controversies in these points? 

0 comments:

Post a Comment