The article that was read sheds some light on a very serious situation, and furthermore, it was very well-written too. The way Haltzman handles the article shows that he is a good psychologist with plenty of experience on serious issues that need to be looked at more by society. Now as for the reading, it asks whether or not children should know if one of their parents has had an affair. This is definitely an interesting question to ask, because while some people would definitely say no, there are other people who would say that children should not be sheltered from such serious issues. However, Haltzman’s thought process on the matter is that how old the child is should depend on whether or not they should know that one of their parents ended up having an affair. For example, as Hatlzman (2013) says, one of the factors that contributes as to whether or not children should be made known about said affair, is whether or not that known about the topic of sex. Furthermore, he also says that most middle schoolers already know how sex works, so telling them about an affair may be a better option (“Should the Children Known You've had an Affair”). Other factors that may contribute also include whether a child has experienced dealing with serious situations, because hearing something as shocking as a loved one cheating on another can end up being traumatic to them. Lastly, another interesting aspect of Haltzman’s article is how he lays down the foundation in regards to whether or not a child should be made known about the issue. For example; in a section of the article called “Making the call”, he gives a lists of various options a person may have that determine whether a child should be told about an affair or not. For example; Hatlzman believes that if a child is young and divorce problems have been resolved, there would be no need to expose the child to the news. As Haltzman (2013) says, If the couple decides to stay together, and the person involved in the affair has put his past aside, than saying anything about the past affair might cause emotions to rise again (“Should the Children Known You've Had an Affair”). In closing the article was a very interesting one to read, and it sheds new light on ways to approach children about serious situations that they may not be able to handle.
References
Haltzman, S. (2013). "Should the Children Known You've Had an Affair?" Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/surviving-infidelity/201305/should-the-children-know-youve-had-affair
