When you take your wedding vows to live happily ever after the farthest thing from your mind is that someday in the future you may be considering a divorce. While no one enters a marriage with the intention of getting divorced, unfortunately, approximately 50% of marriages in the U.S. end in divorce.
Making the decision to end a marriage is probably one of the hardest decisions a person may face in their lifetime. It can have lasting effects for years to come, especially if children are involved. If you’re having marital problems and are trying to decide whether a divorce is the right step to take, you need to ask yourself some important questions.
Have your feelings for your spouse changed or is there a lack of emotional closeness between the two of you that cannot be repaired? Are you making this decision when your emotions are running high, especially after a heated argument? If there are still feelings of love and affection between you and your spouse, then you need to start talking to your spouse about working on your relationship before you contact an attorney.
However, there are some very valid reasons to get a divorce and knowing what they are can help you decide whether divorce is the right step for you to take.
Top Reasons
The Austin Institute for the Study of Family and Culture surveyed 4,000 divorced adults in order to identify the top reasons why people get divorced in the U.S. Three of the top reasons included:
Cheating — Infidelity is the ultimate breach of the promise that you made on your wedding day. It results in feelings of anger, mistrust, and rejection. In many cases, there is no way for a reconciliation to take place.
Incompatibility — Do you have physical, emotional, sexual, spiritual, or financial expectations to which your spouse is unresponsive? Do you no longer feel connected to your partner, but instead, feel anger, sadness, and resentment toward him or her?
Physical or emotional abuse — Abuse is about power and control whether the abuse is physical, verbal, or emotional. If you fear for your safety or the safety of your children, you need to leave.
What’s Your Reason?
Whatever your reasons to get divorced are, if you’re considering divorce, the next step is to meet with an attorney to start the process. At Buncher Family Law, family law attorneys in Irvine, we understand that making the decision to divorce and beginning the process can be overwhelming and stressful. Our goal is to help our clients by first educating them about the divorce process, in general, and the issues and options that are specific to their case. For instance, is it better to be the petitioner or the respondent in a divorce?
Our firm handles all aspects of family law proceedings that can arise out of a divorce, including spousal and child support, child custody, domestic violence protective orders, division of community property and more.