Posted by familylaw on 21st December 2011

When your parents married they expected to stay together until the end of their lives. But sometimes a marriage that starts out perfectly, can turn bad over time. Your parents may decide that getting a ‘divorce’ is the only way to make things better.

Divorce – What Does It Mean?

When parents ‘divorce’ it means they are legally ending their marriage. This has to be done by a Judge. They will not have to appear in Court unless they disagree on anything.

Whether your parents are married or not, if they decide to split up it will almost certainly involve them not living together anymore. This will bring about changes in family life which can be difficult and painful for all of you including your parents, grandparents and brothers and sisters you may have.

Today, nearly half the marriages in Britain end in divorce so you are not alone. Many of your friends may have parents who are divorced.

Why Do Parents Divorce?

Most people go into relationships, especially marriage, believing that they will stay together forever. However, there are many reasons why couples find themselves unable to stay together.

  • Drifting apart – Just like young people, adults change throughout life. Sometimes, couples find that as they grow older, they develop different interests and no longer have anything in common with the other person or feel that they do not know them anymore.
  • Stop loving each other – Sometimes, without any reason, one or both people in a couple find they do not love each other anymore and no matter how hard they try they cannot make it work.
  • Cannot work out differences – Some couples accept arguing as a normal part of family life, but others find they can’t agree on many important issues and that arguments arise all the time without being settled. Some parents argue silently without speaking to each other. After a while this can become destructive and couples can decide that they would rather be apart.
  • Wanting to be with a new partner – Sometimes one partner in a marriage may fall in love with someone else and feel that they can no longer stay with the person they are married to. They may feel that the new person understands them better than their current partner and that they wish to start a new life with them.
  • Major life changes – Losing a job, becoming ill or the death of someone close can affect people deeply and sometimes it can cause problems within a marriage. While many couples can work through this and come out stronger, others find they cannot move on together and decide to split up.
  • Abusive relationships – Everyone knows it’s wrong to abuse or hurt a child or another adult, but it can go on in families undetected for a long time. In these cases it is sometimes necessary for the non-abusing family members to leave the abuser in order to protect their family.

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