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ecumenical working party on the effects of divorce on children. According to the book, "divorce may affect children detrimentally in the long term, and probably does so to a greater extent than is commonly realized".

There are also many effects of divorce on a child's socialization. A child may experience anxiety, among other things. The age of the mother is an important factor as well. Older, more experienced mothers are more capable of coping with the problem of a divorce. This may affect the way the child reacts to the situation. It is found that children living in broken homes are better off than children living in unhappy, but intact homes. Children and parents seem to "come alive" after the cloud has lifted. They suffer in the first year, but improvements are made in the second year and thereafter; often times with the help of family therapy.

Children aged three to six need to be emotionally involved with both parents. Children aged six to twelve move out of a highly charged relationship with the parent of the opposite sex. He or she feels less dependant on him or her. A child of this age may not suffer as much, because he or she may understand the situation to a greater degree. A person of the same sex in the household is essential to provide support towards a child from a divorced family. A child will feel unsure until he or she knows the truth about his or her parents' divorce. If after many years the divorced parents still fight, children may experience social deterioration with their friends. Some children's emotions are apparent, while others lurk beneath the surface. Years after parents' divorce, children continue to suffer emotionally. "These children are very frightened, they have a sense that the family that has been protecting them, the whole scaffolding under them, is collapsing".

When children from a divorced family get older, they feel hey must deal with anger issues, rejection, and guilt towards their parents. To avoid this, they develop strategies. They postpone or avoid marriage; however, most young adults, in most cases, are willing to take chances and do better than their parents did in their marriage. Their main goal is to make sure the same thing does not happen to them.

The following are some suggestions to parents on what they can do to help their children in their time of need: Parents should discuss why the divorce is happening, tell their children how much they are loved and wanted, that they are not to blame, and that they

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