Hard Choices: 6 Benefits of Divorce for Parents
The current divorce rate in the United States is 3.2 per 1,000 people. This rate has been decreasing substantially for over a decade. In total, there’s been an 18% decline in divorce since 2019.
However, marriage has also declined over the years, so the lower divorce rate doesn’t mean that marriages are more successful. It should also be noted that the term ‘successful marriage’ can be misleading.
Sometimes, there are perfectly valid reasons for people to get divorced. There are even a few benefits of divorce that don’t often get talked about. We’ll go into some of these benefits in the paragraphs below.
1. Escaping a Bad Situation
This isn’t the case for most of us, thankfully, but occasionally people get into relationships that they absolutely need to get out of. The abuse rate is incredibly high in the US, with 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men experiencing domestic violence in their lifetime.
Scarier still is the fact that half of all partner abusers will also abuse their children. It’s important for their safety and yours that you leave as soon as possible.
If there is any good news to all of this, it’s that if you can prove abuse you’re almost guaranteed to get full custody of the children. Before you file a case it is better that you consult the experts to learn more bajajdefense.com law firm suggests.
2. Financial Freedom
Money is a big issue with divorce. Divorce can sometimes be necessary just to get out of financial trouble.
It’s a well-known fact that partners share assets in a marriage, but they also share debts. This is bad news if one partner is prone to poor financial decisions. It’s, unfortunately, all-too-common that one partner is ruined or nearly ruined by debts that the other partner wracked up, often without telling their spouse.
Having your records separated from those of your ex gives you the opportunity to rebuild your finances. It’s not a fun process, but sometimes it’s the best choice we have.
Things may turn out better than you expect, as well. One of the biggest divorce myths is that everything is split evenly. Each state has its own laws regarding property and debt distribution, so you may not end up shouldering half the burden.
3. Happiness
One of the most important things to think about in a marriage is happiness. If you’re not happy and can’t think of a way to resolve that in your current situation, divorce may be a good choice.
At the end of the day, it’s not always somebody’s fault. Most of us don’t intend to destroy anybody’s happiness. We just get into a place where we have trouble making things work.
There’s no shame in getting a divorce. All you’re doing is admitting that you’ve changed and your circumstances have changed. What worked before isn’t working now so you have to try something else.
4. Reunite With Friends
Again, most of us don’t intend to take our spouses away from their friends, but it often happens anyway. Marriage tends to keep people pretty busy, especially after they have kids. You may find that you just don’t have as much time to socialize as you did before.
It’s not just old friends you may reconnect with either. It’s not uncommon for people to meet through mutual acquaintances or friends, and marriage is no exception. Our spouse’s friends will sometimes become our friends, too.
We often hear horror stories about people choosing sides when a divorce occurs, but that doesn’t always happen, especially when things end on good terms. You may find that some of the people you grew close to while married will stick with you now that it’s over.
5. Better Relationship with Your Ex
The media loves to show us stories of heartbreak and painful breakups, but in many cases, things end very amicably. You’ll probably find that it’s easier to get along with someone than it is to be with them.
Perhaps your ex wanted to get a large dog, and you’re afraid of large dogs. You would probably have some objections when you were together. However, since you don’t have to live with their decisions it’s easier to support them.
This will also be easier for your kids. Divorce may be hard on them, and there’s really no way past that. However, it gets much easier if they don’t have to listen to one parent constantly complaining about the other or vice versa.
They can spend time with each parent without feeling like they have to take sides or play diplomat.
6. Better Opportunities for Kids
Not only that but being a single parent makes it easier to send your kids to college. Financial aid tends to increase for children raised in a single-parent household.
Between more attention from you and more money for college, divorce may give your kids a pretty good start in life.
The Many Benefits of Divorce
With the exception of those in truly horrendous situations, most people don’t think there are benefits to divorce. It turns out that they’re wrong.
We’ve mentioned a few of the benefits of divorce in the paragraphs above, but there are others out there. We encourage you to do more research on your own if you’re interested.
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