Good morning. Today I wanted to take a lighter approach on the heavy civic issues we have been discussing. While this topic is not as “deep,” it is still something of concern that people should be aware of- marriage rates. You must be wondering why am I, an 18-year-old discussing marriage. Well, as someone who has seen the falling out of marriages before, it does a lot more to a family and community than most think. What if I told you that, children of divorced parents are twice as likely to commit suicide? Or that they experience mental issues at a higher rate than other adolescents? Or that 70% of prison inmates incarcerated for long-term sentences grew up in broken homes? As sad as it may be, these statistics are true, and this is where divorce rates become a civic issue- it is affecting the future of the youth. 

Incarcerated Parents Link to Child. Image Source.

A strong family structure is becoming overlooked in our society. As a whole, growing up, who are the first individuals we see as our “guides to life”? Our parents or guardians! They give us the framework that shapes our beliefs and help us become responsible citizens. The only issue with this is that they can shape children in good or bad ways. Reference the stats I brought up earlier. A lot of these children are growing up in broken homes, causing a cycle of pain in families. For example, let us say a child sees his father in jail and his mother struggling. It forms this idea in the childs head that this is what love looks like. It leads to poor attachment styles and financial problems, and the child ends up in jail too. 

Attachment Styles. Image Source

To further explain this point, we will need to get a little bit heavy. Marriage rates are a problem in the U.S., especially among minorities. Yesterday, I was reading an article concerning youth, and at one point, I kept reading the phrase “adverse childhood experiences.” It made me ponder how on the factors affecting us all, and divorce rates and marriage rates are a big one that is overlooked. What is my point here? Well, nobody can force you to marry or divorce anybody; that is of your own will. However, the most concerning thing is how much these decisions affect our youth. Do I have a solution for this? Somewhat. We as a community need to ensure that when engaging in meaningful relationships, we think about the well-being of our children. At the end of the day, it is up to us to show what healthy love looks like in order to create a better society for our youth to grow and prosper. 

Suicide Rates. Image Source.