According to the US Census, with 44 states and the District of Columbia reporting, the number of marriages which occur per year are 2,077,000. The marriage rate is 6.8 per 1,000, meaning close to seven of every thousand persons get married per year. Astoundingly, the divorce rate is 3.4 per 1,000. So, the amount of divorces is exactly half of the amount of marriages per year, meaning that for every two people getting married, one person is getting divorced. That’s a lot of divorces.
So how do you know when it is time for a divorce? I suggest that you ask yourself a number of questions, which may help you to make the right decision. Question one: Are you unhappy with your marriage? Questions two: Can you pinpoint the real problems that you are having with your spouse? Question three, and here is the big one: Are you willing to change? You see in most problem marriages, both spouses are to blame.
When you first go in for a divorce consultation, your attorney should ask you if there is anything that can be done to save your marriage. You should seriously consider both individual and joint counseling. If both partners are willing to change, and they still love one another, and there are no issues of domestic violence, divorce should probably not be the first option.
The really hard part is when my client is the spouse who is willing to change and the other spouse isn’t. When that happens, it is hard not to advise a client to proceed immediately with a divorce. Sometimes making the decision to get divorced is the hardest part. Once the divorce starts, it is a process, which like everything else eventually comes to an end.
For questions about divorce, custody, support, and domestic violence restraining order issues, call the Law Offices of Richard A. Marcus at 661-257-8877.