Why Two Homes May Be Better Than One For Kids
By admin • Jan 29th, 2010Mums and dads at war who continue to live together may be mistaken in believing this is the right thing to do for their children, a new study has suggested.
The report from the Children’s Society has found that parental conflict is a greater cause of unhappiness for kids than the structure of their family.
Indeed, the Understanding Children’s Wellbeing: A National Survey of Young People’s Wellbeing report revealed seven per cent of children aged between ten and 15 were "significantly" unhappy.
And while the difference between a young person’s family getting along - and not - explained 20 per cent of the variation in overall happiness with life, variation in family structure only explained two per cent.
Commenting on the findings, Amy Schofield, editor of education and parenting website mychild.co.uk, said a stable family base is important for kids as they grow up, as their home is the pace where they should feel safest.
"Constantly seeing and hearing the adults in their lives use negative language and behaviour towards each other can make a child feel very unhappy and unsafe, and frequently experiencing this sort of behaviour shapes a child’s view," she added.
This can lead little ones to grow up to view conflict and disrespect as normal behaviour in the home.
It is for this reason Ms Schofield advised two happy and peaceful homes are better for children than one which is full of unhappiness and conflict.
Do you think staying together is better for the kids?