Should we be able to divorce our parents at the age of 16? For starters, let’s acknowledge the fact that our parents put us in the situation to live, and they should be the first people to teach us how to love and take care of ourselves. However, in some homes, that’s not always the case, which is why I believe this debate can go either way.
Some kids by the age of 16 have a decent feel of what life should be like or how they want their life to look, while other kids have no clue what they want to do with their lives and aren’t in tune with the outside world at all. Depending on the situation, I think that kids who are mature enough should be able to have that option if there are some terrible things going on.
For example, anyone who has an abusive family, physically, should be able to file for it, or even the mental part. Where parents aren’t teaching their kids right from wrong, aren’t feeding them properly, are killing their dreams, and are not giving them any type of freedom, especially if the kid has other friends or family that will take them in no problem and take better care of them. Now, if it’s a situation where the kid is the problem and just wants to do what they want, then they shouldn’t be able to.
Such as kids being disobedient all around, not having any idea about their future, and not knowing much about life as an adult, or just the outside world in general. Although this may teach them a real lesson about how the real world is and that life is much harder as adults and living on your own than we think it is as kids, it’s also not necessary and can be prevented by the parents themselves if they can teach their kid to act the right way.
To me, I feel that to make these decisions on whether or not their reasons are valid enough to get a divorce is to have an official judge. I know going through court at 16 sounds a bit crazy, but if you actually feel that you are smart and mature enough, then you should be ready to go to court because these are things that you will have to do as an adult.
We asked sophomore Maliha Gordon Do you feel kids should be able to divorce their parents at the age of 16? She answered with, “It depends on the parental environment, how responsible the teen is, if it’s very unhealthy and shows no signs of changing, then yes, but if not, then no.”
We also asked junior Ciara Boyd At what age do you think kids should be able to divorce their parents, and why? Ciara responded with, “Kids should be able to move out at 15 and up due to many reasons, such as abuse, bad parenting, to gain independence, bad living environment, or even to have better opportunities because their parents could be holding them back.”
In conclusion, being able to divorce your parents shouldn’t just be something that any kid has the privilege to do, but should be decided professionally, because I think that would just increase the percentage of people who are homeless and in debt. This is a serious matter and should be treated seriously.
