Separation

May 13, 2011 • Shabray Davis, Colt Reporter  
Filed under New reporters

Most people wonder how hard or difficult it may be for a child’s parents to be separated and still both get to participate in their child’s life. Sometimes it may or may not be difficult, but the situation does affect both the parents and child’s life.

     Many students face the real life situation of growing up with their parents getting a divorce or being separated. The parents try to each spend time with their children most of the time, but there is almost always that one parent that gets full custody, which means a parent gets full rights to make medical, legal, and educational decisions for the child.

Single moms are the most common people that gain custody of the children, but there are some single fathers as well that gain custody of the child.

     Some children may be used to it or have to get used to it, they also have to cope with the situation if they’re not used to both parents being around. The child might take it harder than other children going through the same situation. It may put a lot of stress on a child or cause a child to be depressed.

     Vicki Culpepper, a single mom of two, has to deal with the difficult task every day.

     “Being a single mom is not an easy task at all,” Culpepper said. “There were lots of struggles that I had to face when my girls were toddlers and younger, but I managed to pull it off with the help of their father.”

     Even if the other parent doesn’t have custody it doesn’t mean they’re not involved in the child’s life. The other parent still gets a chance to see the child and spend time with them.

     Benny Davis, father of Culpepper’s two girls, agrees that separation it’s not an easy task.

     “Even though their mother has custody it doesn’t mean it’s any easier on me when I get the girls,” Davis said. “The fact that I don’t live in Lubbock makes it harder for me to have time to see the girls and get to work, but their mother and I have a good friendship and we manage to work out schedules.”

     The situation is not easy on the child either, because sometimes depending on the situation the parents may not live in the same city and they might have to go back and forth.

     Vishy’Le Colbert, the child of separated parent’s, also isn’t fond of the task, but has coped with it.

     “Going back and forth isn’t easy for me,” Colbert said.

“I think it has got easier since me and my sister have gotten older and we don’t get to see our dad as much, but we do communicate in different ways as in talking on the phone and our dad just stopping by when he can to take us out to eat or something.”

     Growing up without both parents in the household can or will affect the child in some kind of way, sometimes in a good way or in a bad way. There are programs to help your child cope with the situation if their having trouble with it.

     Parent’s separations are not easy to most people, but you have to deal with this part of life the best way you can.

Editor’s Note:  Shabray Davis is not presently on the staff of The Coronado Crest, but is completing Journalism I classes and hopes to be on the newspaper staff next year.

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