The ending of a marriage after decades can be a trying time that is full of heated quarrels and emotional encounters. People are surprised when a couple divorce after decades and announce that what they devoted themselves to for years no longer works.
A divorced father from Minnesota ended his 27-year marriage after being severely injured in a motor vehicle accident. A non-profit executive, the man was riding home from work on his scooter when he was hit by a driver of a car who didn’t see him. He was in the hospital for over seven weeks. When he was able to comprehend what had happened, he realized life was too short to stay in a marriage that no longer fulfilled him.
According to a licensed clinical social worker in Los Angeles, there may be some obvious reasons behind the end of a long and (what seemed to be) happy marriage. Like the story of the Minnesota father, after a traumatic event, individuals may feel the need to take on a new path in life. She also explained that people begin to face the eventual unavoidability of their mortality later in life.
The social worker explained that if a couple doesn’t have the coping skills vital to make it through a major stressful event, the marriage could break down and the couple opt for divorce. She found that conflict is unavoidable, yet how the couple manages the struggle will be crucial to their success in the marriage.
Another reason that a couple may end a marriage is that they won’t work on the problem together. One half of the couple may be willing to do the work, while the other half wants to end the marriage abruptly.
Facing difficult life changes is never easy for either spouse, but there are things the couple can do to get through them together without heading toward a divorce. Partners should make an effort to communicate and make time alone. Notice how your partner is changing through the years and also ask yourself where you want to be in your life. Couples must work on the challenges a marriage faces today and try to be more flexible as well.
Source:
huffingtonpost.com, “Marriage Problems That Lead To Divorce After Decades” Laura Seldon, Sep. 09, 2013
