Everybody knows that family is an important institution. For many people, family is everything. However, there are many families that are not so great. The state of Texas has its fair share of divorce, broken homes, drug addicted parents, rebellious teens and financial struggles.
Texas Divorce Rates
While divorce rates are down within the state they still happen. At least 40% marriages will end in divorce within the state of Texas. Most married couple have at least one child. If the parents decide to split apart, the children will be impacted their decision.
Divorce Leads to Custodial & Guardianship Concerns
The subject of guardianships will arise when divorce happens. An attorney will have to be involved to help mothers and fathers to figure out who is best suited to have custody. Normally, a judge will rule in the best interest of the child and the most financially stable individual will usually become the custodial parent.
Domestic Abuse Statistics
Another troubling statistic regarding families includes domestic abuse. Many Texas families have been suffering from this trend since 2013. Texas domestic abuse statistics reveal that 195,000 incidents of abuse had taken place within the state in 2016.
These disturbing trends also reveal that at least 74% of all Texas residents know at least 1 family member or friend that has been victimized by domestic abuse.
Even elderly people are abused within the state of Texas by someone they know and trust. When the police show up on a domestic call, at least one person must go to jail. If one person is not sent to jail, they will usually have to be removed from the home until the situation cools off.
Runaways
Runaway teens also create a lot of problems for families. Minors who are fed up with their home life tend to run away from their parents. Once they are out in the world they have a hard time surviving. They usually do not have family and their support network is usually ineffective for providing them with stability.
So, when they hit the streets they usually have to turn to illegal activities just to survive. Prostitution, stealing and dealing drugs are the common illegal crimes that runaways gravitate to when they need to make money for survival. Hopefully, they won’t get knabbed by law enforcement and end up going to jail or dead.
Families might in crisis. Their futures might look bleak. However, most Texan family units are strong enough to endure. Even if they are suffering from at least one or more issue that negatively impacts their lives.