The Impact of Divorce on Academics

Often a parent will ask me if their divorce is affecting their child’s academics, and, most of the time the answer is yes, especially when there is shared custody. I know, shared custody seems like the best thing for a child and, on an emotional level, it may be but that’s not my area. However, on an academic level, perhaps not so much. But, there are ways to avoid the pitfalls and make a difficult situation easier for everyone.

I hear almost the identical story from a good number of my students with divorced parents. I ask why they didn’t do their homework. If they spent the previous night at their mom’s, they tell me they left it at their dad’s and vice versa. Where is your planner? Textbook? Directions for your research paper? Always the same answer. Since the kids bounce around so much this seems to make sense. But does it? When I hear this explanation, I always ask the same question, “Why isn’t it in your backpack?” The usual homework process is…open backpack, take out homework, do homework, put back in backpack, the end.

It also seems that when the parents were married, one may have taken the role of making sure the child was doing everything they needed to do for school, while the other took on other roles, like cooking or watching basketball. However, when the child spends equal time with each parent, both parents become equally responsible for making sure the child studies and does homework.

Read More: Buffalo Grove