Celebrating Platonic Parenting and Conscious Uncoupling with Selfies

While it is still not that widespread in the United States, many people abroad who have just been granted a divorce are taking one last selfie of themselves, their faces beaming with happy smiles, seemingly celebrating their conscious uncoupling and beginning of platonic parenting.

Trending in social networking sites is the topic #divorceselfies. Are they really happy to get a divorce?

One woman who posted her selfie after her divorce was Jessica Hrivnak from Greenwood. She did not know that her post would be picked up and was featured in a magazine article. She said that she believed no one got married thinking that he or she would get a divorce later. However, she reasoned that sometimes a divorce is something that could be the best solution for the children as well as the couple. She added that she and her husband have a daughter and although they are now divorced, they are still on friendly terms.

No longer a sad event

It seems that the idea that divorce is no longer a sad event is catching on. Some divorced couples are even staying together for the sake of their children, in what they call “platonic parenting.” They believe that a situation like this helps their children because they do not have to choose between the parents. While a 2012 study conducted by Michigan State University concluded that married couples are happier, a more recent study (2014) by the National Bureau of Economic Research has found out that the most important factor to a happy marriage is to have a partner who is also your best friend.

However, divorce does not necessarily make people sad. According to the 2005 study of Warwick University, divorce may be traumatic but it only lasts for a short time, as the divorced couple could have visible psychological gains eventually. Divorced women were also found to be remarkably happier, based on the 2013 study done by Kingston University.

The divorce selfies

Today’s couples that are divorcing approach the situation more realistically, and being friendly toward each other has become more common. They are celebrating the past and optimistic about their future.

Still there are questions that remain unanswered. Are they actually happy or just masking their hurt behind the wide smiles? Mental health experts do not have answers yet. Or it could really be the beginning of a new era where people are no longer hesitant to let others know that their marriage failed, and that being friends is the best solution for everyone concerned.

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