Yes, it is most definitely going to a peaceful home.
The whole idea of a ‘broken home’ has so much historical baggage and it is not a valid concept in this day and age. Even in the mid-twentieth century, it did not only apply to divorce, but to where a parent died, and even where there were problems such as abuse, unemployment and alcoholism. So any home which did not function in a harmonious way was a ‘broken home’.
In other words, the home ‘broke’ long before people got to the divorce court or because of other reasons which were to do with poverty, or cruelty, or things like death (beyond their control).
No-one, but no-one would talk of a child whose parent died now as coming from a ‘broken home’ so quite why it is still (erroneously) applied to divorce is anyone’s guess. To stigmatise and make people feel guilty, I suppose.
And it works. I remember going to a training course and the speaker there was talking about solving problems in businesses. I am not going to be able to explain this well as I am tired. But basically it was to do with brainstorming everything you knew about a situation or business where there was a problem and writing down all the component parts. There could be dozens of component parts to a system or institution (whatever it was). And then by taking the pieces apart, it would be easier to see how to build something new or solve the problem by changing one or two things. He explained it better than this. But his main point was that you had to break the business (on paper) or whatever it was into its component parts and only by doing it that way, would you be able to see how to make it work better, which bits to change.
This was eight months after I had just left my marriage and I was in the post-separation maelstrom, and it was like an epiphany that I had done the only thing possible. Which was to break up our entirely dysfunctional home so that we could put it back as new and functional homes. The same pieces but working better.
It took a very long while but I am absolutely confident now that the pieces do work better separately and that the children have the best chance despite everything to grow into confident adults who know their parents love them. Because for all his issues with me, ex has learnt to put the children’s needs and interests first, because he has had to.
I am probably going to name-change soon as I think I may well become identifiable to those who know me, if I am not already.