Who you gonna call? Divorce mythbusters

The TV show “Mythbusters” has a great way of hooking viewers. Using the scientific method and mechanical devices they construct, the hosts of the Discovery Channel program test the validity of myths, rumors, conspiracy theories, adages and even viral videos. In that way, viewers can see if these myths, sayings, theories, etc., are valid or are the product of superstition or human gullibility. (You might recall that the show’s hosts did a limited number of performances here in Las Vegas last summer.)

Therapist Susan Pease Gadoua and journalist Vicki Larson are perhaps a literary equivalent of mythbusters, knocking down myths and legends that surround divorce in our culture. Gadoua and Larson are authors of “The New I Do: Reshaping Marriage for Skeptics, Realists and Rebels.” They question the truth in commonly made claims such as “living together before marriage lowers the risk of divorce.”

Whatever the myths and statistics are, Divorce lawyers in the Las Vegas Divorce lawyers are busy representing both married and unmarried parents in equal numbers according at leat one lawyer who attended the Annual Nevada Family Law Conference in Ely in early March. And, people are having children out of wedlock while living in a traditional family setting more and more frequently.

False, say the authors; that’s mythology. So is the claim that living together increases the risk of divorce. Both sides of the legend are untrue, according to a 2014 study that found that living together before marriage has no impact on divorce, regardless of whether a couple did or did not cohabitate.

Here’s one that almost always gnaws at parents who are pondering a permanent split: “divorce harms children.” Therapist Gadoua says that bit of conventional wisdom is also myth. She says it isn’t divorce that hurts kids (though it does create stress in their lives), it’s when parents fight in front of children that’s harmful.

Also, she said it’s important that divorcing parents work together, and with their family law attorneys, to ensure that children have a stable life, even as their parents’ marriage comes to an end.

During and after the divorce, it’s crucial to be emotionally present for your children, get along with your ex-spouse and keep your kids out of your arguments.