The decision “when to say when” with regards to ending your marriage is not a decision that is made after one day of thought, but rather over weeks, months and sometimes years. Moving forward with a divorce is a life altering decision. Because divorce affects almost every facet of your life it is not uncommon that we share our thoughts and feelings with friends, family members or even our attorneys prior to moving forward. No one other than you can make that final decision, but there are 3 questions you should certainly ask yourself before starting a divorce:
- No regrets – One of the main reasons why making major life changing decisions is so difficult is that we are afraid that we will regret the decision in hindsight. However, if you exhaust every option to make your marriage work, i.e., effective communication with your partner, marriage counseling, etc. prior to making your decision, it will help relieve you of future feelings of regret.
- Choosing yourself over your partner – It is not uncommon that while one person is incredibly unhappy in their marriage, their partner is happy, or at least sufficiently tolerant, with the state of their relationship. Disregarding your genuine feelings of marital unhappiness and dissatisfaction to avoid the guilt you may feel in disappointing your partner can lead you to depression, resentment and other physical symptoms. To stay true to your heart and to yourself some action might be needed prior to choosing divorce. Taking action is empowering.
- What is best for your children – Staying together for the sake of the children is an outdated idea and a bad one. The fact that both of you are not sleeping in the same room, or under the same roof, is not reason enough to stay in an unhappy marriage. What is best for your children is to ensure that they grow up with parents who are stable, focused, and able to provide guidance and love to their children.
Contact Grossman & Associates, Ltd. for guidance if you are thinking about a divorce at 617.969.0069.
Grossman & Associates, Ltd. 