Lesson 2 - True Heroism My mother grew up in the “Ozzie and Harriet” era, but lived a life far different from what was portrayed on the television. As the oldest of three children, she experienced first-hand the destructiveness that comes from contention and divorce. As she would put it, her “parents loved each other but couldn’t live together.” Consequently, they married, divorced, and remarried each other. I believe they were working through a second divorce when my grandfather passed away from the effects of alcoholism. When they were together, there was an abundance of yelling and contention. She grew up with the economic hardships and exposure to stress described by Paul Amato’s article, “ The Impact of Family Formation Change on the Cognitive, Social, and Emotional Well-Being of the Next Generation .” He stated, “In general, … children in high-conflict households experience many of the same problems as do children with divorced parents. In fact, some studies show that chi...