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PART 1
MAKING THE DECISION |
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The situations that lead to divorce are as diverse as the demographics suggest: According to statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau, about two and a half million people across all social and economic groups divorce each year. More than a million children are swept up in those divorces. And this group in crisis is joined by another category of people: those at risk for divorce. The U.S. Census Bureau tells us that fully 50 percent of all those who marry will eventually divorce an average of 11 years after the wedding. |
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It is only when we consider divorce for ourselves, however, that we recognize the enormous disruption and devastation the event can bring: For those who are separating, the fights can be draining, disruptive, unbearable. For the one who's leaving, the guilt may be overpowering. For the one who is left, the rejection may be ego-shattering. In the wake of divorce, children may find themselves bereft of a parent. They may feel they have caused the divorce, that they are to blame. |
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Divorce means divesting yourself of the comforts and accouterments of a life shared and starting out againdiminished in strength and number, and alone. The death of a marriage inspires, among other emotions, anger, grief, and fear. |
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For these reasons and more, divorce is not a decision to be entered into lightly. The decision to divorce, or to stay together and work it out, is the most important you may ever make. In Part I of our Complete Idiot's Guide, we will help you grapple with the decision to end it. We'll help you deal with the rejection if the decision has been thrust upon you by your spouse. Either way, we'll suggest some ways you can navigate through life to a new beginning. |
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