With unprecedented levels of divorce and the separation of parents who never married, more children are being raised by single parents, grandparents, relatives, and living in foster homes than ever before. On the next television broadcast of Teen Connection a panel of young people and adult experts will discuss the ways teens cope as their parents split up.

According to Wisconsin Department of Health Services statistics in 2008, there was one divorce for every 1.9 marriages. Nationwide it is estimated that close to half of all marriages end in divorce. Not included in the data are couples that separated without ever marrying or those people who divorced and remarried.

Whether their parents were married or only living together, kids from split-up families encounter the same kinds of feelings and emotions. Teens can feel insecure about the changes happening in their family and uncertain about the future. They often blame themselves for problems between their parents and may attempt to get them back together.

In this edition of Teen Connection, teens with separated parents will explain how they were affected by their parents’ separation including how friends reacted, school grades declined and personal habits changed. Teens will share how they coped with the separation, often turning to grandparents and other relatives for support.

Lois Mischler, a counselor at Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin, a nonprofit agency that strives to protect, heal, and care for children and families will appear on the program. Mischler will offer advice for teens and parents, and explain how they can effectively deal with the stress caused by the family’s transition.

A related documentary Splitting Up: Kids in the Middle will air on WPT and MPTV at 10:30 p.m., also on Dec. 15.

Toll-free phone service is provided by Nsight Long Distance.

Host Kathryn Bracho appears courtesy of WBAY-TV/Green Bay.