STAYING
MARRIED FOR THE KIDS

Topics: Child Rearing; Children; Divorce; Family; Marriage; Parenting

References: Matthew 19:3–12; Mark 10:10–12

Children don’t need parents who like each other or are even civil to each other. But they do need them to stay together, for better or for worse. That’s the conclusion of therapist Judith Wallerstein in The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce.

This imperative comes with asterisks, of course, but fewer than one might think. Physical abuse, substance addiction, and other severe pathologies cannot be tolerated in any home. Aside from these, Wallerstein stands firm: where the children’s welfare is concerned, a lousy marriage beats a great divorce.

—Walter Kirn, “Should You Stay Together for the Kids?” Time (September 15, 2000)