Failing to make the grade: Woman seeks divorce after son’s class rank falls

A couple can choose to end their marriage for a variety of reasons, including accusations of infidelity, constant bickering, differences over religion or politics and emotional distance, to name only a few. However, sometimes the reasoning behind the split falls outside of the ordinary and is particularly noteworthy.

This was recently the case in Singapore, where a woman is currently seeking a divorce from her husband because she blames him for their son’s falling grades.

According to reports, the couple’s son is currently enrolled at one of Singapore’s most prestigious secondary schools, where grades are extremely important.

However, when the son – who has always been in the top of his class – started to get slightly lower grades, the mother took him to a psychiatrist clinic, fearing he could be suffering from depression.

Here, the mother informed the treating psychiatrist about the boy’s falling grades and expressed her dissatisfaction with her husband who she deemed to be “a negative influence” on her son.

Specifically, she felt that her husband’s insistence on taking their son with them on social outings was having an adverse impact on his academic performance.

The mother even went so far as to inform the psychiatrist that she wanted to divorce her husband and asked him for a letter indicating that the husband was indeed a negative influence.

Not surprisingly, the psychiatrist refused, stating that the husband was simply trying to alleviate some of the academic pressures on the son and that the mother should perhaps consider changing her position.

She refused and is currently pursuing a divorce.

Interestingly, mental health experts in Singapore are reporting greater incidences of parents experiencing increased anxiety/agitation around exam times for their children, a phenomenon that can have an altogether negative impact.

“Such parents need counseling to help them feel more secure about themselves and help them understand that they should maintain reasonable expectations toward their children,” said the psychiatrist who treated the mother now seeking a divorce.

Stay tuned for more from our Ft. Worth family law blog …

To learn more about dissolution of marriage, contact an experienced and skilled legal professional. Names have been withheld to protect the identity of the parties.

This post is for informational purposes only and is not to be construed as legal advice.

Source:

AsiaOne, “Woman wants divorce after son’s grades dip” Oct. 9, 2011