Editor’s note: Today’s letters to the editor are from Southwest Junior High students learning about persuasive writing.

To the editor:

Have you ever been in a divorce? Have your parents divorced? If you answered yes, then you know how it could mess up a child’s life. When parents fight a lot and the child is old enough to understand what is going on, then it could lead to a change in the child’s school life, their education performance, their mood, criminal activity, psychological problems, truancy and many other things.

When a child has divorced parents, they mostly stay with their mother. It is possible that they may no longer see the other parent as a parental figure, but they may see them as a friend or someone close to them.

Divorces actually take a greater toll on children than getting abused, or a friend, family member or someone close to them dying. They have a lot of pressure when it comes down to who they stay with. For them, it’s like choosing who should live. Sometimes it can be too difficult and they could snap or break down. When they finally make the decision, if they go to visit the other parent, then when they say “goodbye” it’s hard for them.

So if you are going through a divorce, then you should tell your child instead of letting them figure it out the hard way. It would probably help if you talked to them and make sure they are doing ok. To find out more visit http://find.galegroup.com for more information about what could happen to your child during a divorce.

Kayleen Frazier,

Southwest Junior High