Unseen and True Cost Of A Divorce May Be Higher Than You Think
Posted by: Alex Archer in Family, tags: FamilyAfter the glow of the honeymoon fades and the chime of the wedding bells has faded away, a newly-wed couple has dreams of a life spent together, forever. Unfortunately, this fairy-tale happiness is not a guarantee, and affairs, money problems, or emotional distress can lead to one party or the other looking to a divorce as a solution.
These days, our society accepts divorce as an unfortunate but accepted reality of married life. While annulments have been around for centuries, divorces are different. Divorce is a way of ending a marriage, without the death of a spouse, while a more traditional annulment declared that a marriage was void from the beginning.
In response to a variety of problems, couples may turn to divorce as a \”quick, easy and cheap\” solution to their relationship problems. However, people often jump to this option without realizing the cost of a divorce, in both emotional and financial terms.
Many people think a divorce will be over and done with quickly, and they can move on with their lives in little or no time. However, this is an misunderstanding of the complexity of the issue at hand; the average divorce usually takes about two years from beginning to end.
Also, while the price of a divorce lawyer ranges widely, most experts would say that the average lies around $3,000 each for a one-day trial; again, more than many people would expect.
Along with the \”sticker price\” of the divorce, the husband and wife sometimes forget about the hidden fees. All of a sudden, each individual needs to find a new way to pay rental or mortgage payments. Auto and health insurance change. Alimony and child support can sometimes require large payments. Without warning, one’s cost of living can go through the roof.
Then there’s the emotional cost of the whole ordeal that could lead to serious psychological problems. Divorce process encourages the focus of the past. Past mistakes, past problems and past disagreements. This diverts the attention of the present, resulting both parties slide to deeper anger and discontent with each other, reinforcing the problem rather than finding a solution.
Throughout the divorce process, each party will also likely feel a need to blame the other, reinforcing the sense of wrongdoing and victimhood. Instead of taking responsibility to fix the problem, a divorce encourages a person to place the blame for the marital stress on the other person. This could lead to a feeling of not being able to do anything about, helplessness, and all too often, clinical depression.
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