Last June several British newspapers, including The Times, reported Family Court Judge Paul Coleridge's strong warning regarding the great number of broken marriages and families in England, as "One in three marriages ends in divorce, leaving children damaged, miserable and scarred for life" (Daily Mail, June 17). It is a national disaster, it is an epidemic, and only strong and healthy marriages can save England.

In Family Systems Therapy (also known as Ecological Systems Theory), when one member of the family changes, there is a ripple effect on every other member.

What happens when a mother goes out to work? Several fundamental changes are likely to occur. She is no longer always available, and gains a certain economic independence. Al-though there are positive benefits to a family from a wife and mother working, the negative effects must also be given consideration. Child expert Urie Bronfenbrennen, who is not against mothers working, sees the disappearing parent as a major cause of many family ills.

Judge Coleridge concluded his warning by stating that: "What is a matter of private concern when it is on a small scale becomes a matter of public concern when it reaches epidemic proportions."

Surely, for all of us here in Malta and Gozo this is an eye opener - prevention is better than cure!