The Lesser Evil: Bad Marriage Or Divorce?
It’s not uncommon to hear of married couples opting for a divorce. In fact, nearly half of all marriages in the United States end in a divorce, and some people even go through multiple divorces over the course of their life. Back in the day, divorcees were treated as if they were delinquents. They often got the stink eye, they were often labelled as home-wreckers, and well, even churches banned them for services because, apparently, even the Bible doesn’t take too kindly to divorce.
Times are different now, and divorce is now seen as something that’s not uncommon. It’s also for good reason. Divorce was meant as a mechanism to help spouses get out of abusive marriages. And the funny thing here is that there are a lot of articles and studies on the adverse effects that a divorce has on children, but there aren’t many that speak about the adverse effects of enduring a loveless relationship.
And even if you didn’t have children, enduring a loveless marriage is just as bad for the spouses.This is true for both heterosexual and same-sex couples. Of course, no one likes to think too much about the possibility of being trapped in a loveless marriage but it is important to know that getting a divorce can sometimes be the healthiest solution. Accordingly, you can discover some more ideas that explain why divorce is sometimes the best option by taking a look at a few of the resources on the Peters and May website.
Now, I’m not saying that one is better than the other. What I’m saying is that it all really depends on your situation. And, well, there are certain situations that truly call for the help of a family lawyer. These situations include:
1. Physical Or Emotional Abuse
This is pretty straightforward. Marriage is a relationship that’s built on trust, respect, and love. However, the moment that your spouse becomes abusive they no longer have any of these for you. The first time that your spouse attacks your dignity and self-worth is forgivable, but if this behavior becomes a common scenario, then it’s time to call the police, as well as a lawyer.
2. Habitual Infidelity
For whatever reason it happens, it’s not going to be justifiable in any way. Once is bad enough because of the loss of trust. But that doesn’t mean that the marriage is irreparable. However, if your spouse is a serial cheater, then there’s no point in keeping the marriage alive because it may be that the infidelity is more of a habit than a mistake at this point.
3. Financial Infidelity
Marriage is a partnership such that all property, whether acquired by the husband or the wife, is deemed as the property of both. This principle is also true for money. Now, when a spouse is putting financial strain on the family because they have an addiction to shopping or gambling, especially when they do so behind your back and the act results in debt, then it’s time for a divorce.
4. Substance Abuse
You can’t break someone out of his or her addiction. It’s commonplace to see spouses holding on to a marriage in the hopes that their partner might change. That is a fallacy that’s going to hit really hard. Nobody can change an addict. Drug and alcohol addictions are dangerous because they give rise to many of the aforementioned reasons for divorce.
Conclusion
The danger to your children here is that they might adopt the bad behavior of your spouse. No matter the age, children are designed to learn vicariously. A lot of people will argue that a divorce is sure to affect children adversely. But what could be worse is if they see that you’re putting up with the bad behavior, they might think that this bad behavior is acceptable and that there are no real consequences.
