Many students on campus have parents who are either: divorced, separated, or single. It is very different for each student who has experienced this.

A study conducted by Verywell Family has portrayed that “following a divorce, children are fifty percent more likely to develop health problems than two-parent families.” However, not everyone experiences the same hardships when going through something like this. Some may have less of a hard time than others for various reasons.

Personally, I have found that splitting my time up is quite difficult because I just want it to be equal between each parent. Many students often switch back-and-forth between each parent’s house, whether it is during the week, weekend, or every couple of days. It may be difficult for others to even figure out which clothes they want to take with them to each parent’s house. Students also have to manage their time spent with their parents during the holidays, which can be a sensitive topic.

Having parents who are separated, divorced, etc., comes with a lot of responsibilities. It is a time where most students step up and become more mature in certain cases due to the amount of stress and difficulties they may encounter. I found myself stepping up for my little brother during this time because he needed things to get done, when my parents could not.

Many parents end up going to court over their separation and custody of their children. If the child is not old enough to be able to choose who they want to live with, it is often chosen for them based off of the parent who is considered the best fit for the job. This can be hard to deal with, especially if the chosen parent is not the person that the child really wants to live with. Luckily, I was both old enough to pick which parent, and my parents decided not to go to court over it, since my dad works so far away.

With the holidays coming up, life for students can be extra stressful, especially since they have finals for school and their home life to deal with. It is difficult for many because they may have to pick which parent they want to spend the holidays with or have to decide how to split their time up. Knowing that both parents may want to spend time with their kids can be tough because that is not always possible. However, some families may create two holidays, such as having two Christmas parties, so that they are able to see their loved ones no matter what.

Having parents who are no longer together, is undoubtedly different for everyone because many people have different issues within their families. Some people may have an easier time than others who are going through something similar, whether it is because they want it, or have been dealing with it for an extended period of time.