Recent family related news included a look at some difficult emotional and financial issues that older couples, either together and not married or divorced, face. Australia has led the world by proposing a social media ban for children under 16 and a child of a celebrity in the U.S. not only shared a personal perspective on her parents’ divorce, but also read an essay focused on a new family structure post-divorce. Lastly, tips to address “attachment injuries” are shared by a psychologist and social scientist, working with the University of Bath.
Hosted by Anna Martin, The New York Times, October 30, 2024
The actress and producer Mayan Lopez has seen a majority of her life play out on television. Mayan reads a Modern Love essay about a daughter who also watched her parents’ marriage fall apart, but then as an adult sees them repair their relationship. The essay, “The Original Conscious Uncouplers,” by Cole Kazdin, explores what it means to redefine what a family means after divorce.
The Associated Press, Melbourne Australia, November 7, 2024
The Australian government announced on Thursday what it described as world-leading legislation that would institute an age limit of 16 years for children to start using social media, and hold platforms responsible for ensuring compliance. “Social media is doing harm to our kids and I’m calling time on it,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
Paula Span, The New York Times, November 10, 2024
Census data from 2023 showed that of Americans ages 65 to 74, 3.9 percent of men and 2.6 percent of women, almost 1.1 million people, were living with a partner, not a spouse. The trend reflects Americans’ longer lives, the spike in the divorce rate in the 1960s and 1970s, and the rate of “gray divorces” occurring among those over 50, which doubled between 1990 and 2010. What’s worrisome is that unmarried partners are less likely than spouses to have prepared advance directives, appointed health care proxies and assigned power of attorney, the process called advance care planning.
Sam Carr, Ph.D, Psychology Today, November 15, 2024
Families, close friendships, and romantic partnerships bring joy, but they also involve challenges: power struggles, betrayal, guilt, jealousy, and resentment. Canadian psychologists Judy Makinen and Susan Johnson used the term "attachment injuries" to describe the sorts of relational wounds that are inflicted when we perceive we have been abandoned, betrayed, or mistreated by those closest to us. This article explores different styles of conflict resolution and skills and tools to help resolve relational trauma.
Diane Harris, The New York Times, November 17, 2024
While divorce rates in the United States have generally been falling, they have doubled for people over age 50 since the 1990s and tripled among those over 65, according to a 2022 study from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. As the number of couples who split after the age of 50 rises, more Americans are looking at a retirement that is drastically different than they had expected. “The process is not just about rebuilding your nest egg,” Stephanie McCullough, a certified financial planner in Berwyn, Pa. Ms. McCullough said. “It’s about rebuilding your life in a way that’s more deeply satisfying for you.”
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