It’s Traumatic to Separate Children From Their Parents! (Pt 1)

A young boy sitting at a window, watching the rain with a sad look on his face.
Children suffer a wide range of trauma symptoms when they are forcibly separated from their parents.

Parents love their children, and children love and need their parents. Tearing kids away from their parent, guardian or full-time caregiver is emotionally devastating for everyone involved. But up until recently, it wasn’t widely realized exactly what the long-term consequences of that separation really was. Especially by divorce lawyers or the family court, which is where many child/parent separations are discussed and agreed on or mandated.

That’s why The Children’s Rights Litigation Committee of the American Bar Association Section of Litigation gathered as much data on the subject as they could find, and compiled all of it into one comprehensive document detailing the effects of separating kids from their parents. As you can imagine, the facts are heartbreaking and far more serious than many of us ever imagined.

What are the effects of separating children from their parents?

According to current research, separation from parents has both short- and long-term devastating effects on a child’s mental and physical well-being, including:

  • Severe anxiety, 
  • Depression, 
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 
  • Toxic stress 
  • Cognitive development delays

How can emotional events affect a child’s physical body?

If you’re wondering how separation, which doesn’t cause physical injuries or harm could have such a direct impact on a child’s physical body, you’re not the only one. It makes sense that kids would be impacted emotionally, but surely there can’t be actual physical effects? Well, believe it or not, a growing body of research is proving that there is very little that separates the mind and the body. Traumas and tragedies that affect the body have a direct impact on the mind and vice versa! Our divorce attorneys in Oakland County see this all the time. 

Toxic stress levels directly impact physical health!

According to the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, toxic stress “can disrupt the development of brain architecture and other organ systems, and increase the risk for stress-related disease and cognitive impairment, well into the adult years.” Which means that a child who is separated from their parents, even for a short period of time, can suffer enormous physical harm as a result of the damage done to their brain and organs by the stress-induced release of hormones. 

The health of future generations will depend on families staying together!

No, we’re not suggesting that you stay in a toxic marriage to keep your kids healthy, that’s not it at all! But we are saying that research is showing it’s beneficial to your children’s long-term health and wellbeing to allow them to continue to enjoy a lasting relationship with both of their parents after a divorce (assuming that’s safe and possible). The family law attorneys at The Kronzek Firm’s office in Farmington Hills remind us that Michigan law presumes that each parent should foster and close and continuing relationship with the other parent. Come back for part 2 of this very important blog for a look at how this research could impact your custody or visitation case!

You can protect the time you have with your children!

If you’re in a custody battle fighting to keep your kids, or your ex is trying to take away your access to your children, call The Kronzek Firm immediately at (248) 479-6200 and speak to one of our seasoned and highly skilled family law attorneys. We have decades of experience in  helping parents in Oakland County, Livingston County and Macomb County fight for their right to parent their own children, and maintain loving relationships with their kids after divorce. We can help you too. Our custody lawyers are available 24 / 7 for crisis intervention. For non-emergency consultation appointments, we also have evening and weekend appointment options available.