Family breakdown

Using the latest scientific research in child development, Penelope Leach covers the various effects of divorce on children in five stages of life--infants, toddlers/preschoolers, primary school children, teenagers, college students/young adults--many of whom are far more deeply affected than previously thought. She explains recent studies that overturn many common assumptions and that show, for example, how many standard custody arrangements for very young children are harmful to children's attachment to their parents and therefore to their brain development. There is evidence to suggest that the practice of having infants and toddlers spend regular overnights with noncustodial parents may be damaging, and the practice of dividing children's time equally between the parents is seldom best for the children.