Divorce is the last resort

With divorce so common these days, everyone probably knows someone with a stepmom, stepdad, or just a single parent.

My own parents are not divorced, and for that I feel very fortunate. However, I know a handful of friends whose parents have divorced. I’ve never really asked them what it’s like, except for whether or not they like going back and forth between houses.

Most of them didn’t really care, or at least they didn’t seem to show it.  I didn’t bother prodding too deeply, because it’s such a touchy subject and I felt that it wasn’t my place to ask.

Did you know 49 percent of marriages end in divorce?  This is a sad statistic. When you get married, you stand before God and promise to stick it out no matter what. “Thick and thin, for better or worse.”

And divorce doesn’t just affect the couple; if they have children, it affects them too. Their children will be four times more likely to get a divorce after they get married, according to BBC News. They have learned that it’s okay to quit when things get hard and problems can’t be worked out.

In this generation, society tells everyone that it’s okay to walk away from problems. This causes the morals of a country to decline, because the family unit is the base. When you have a broken or unstable family unit, it reflects on society. You see more and more irresponsibility, bad choices, and corruption.

While I do believe that divorce is not okay, I understand that sometimes it is the last resort and necessary because of safety or other issues. Often, my parents donate money to an organization called Shepherd’s Gate, a shelter that provides temporary housing for battered women and children. The mothers have left home because of abuse, financial problems, addiction, or other issues.

Shepherd’s Gate offers programs to help women regain their footing by providing them with education, scholarships, jobs skills training, anger management courses, medical services, recovery classes, and financial management.

It may seem that I am conflicted in my opinions, but I stand firmly planted on the side that does not support divorce. I do not mean to be ignorant or rude to anyone, but my religion does not support divorce, except for reasons noted in the paragraphs above.

One shouldn’t give up because issues are difficult to work out. Plow through and work together.