Older Adults: Tell Us Why You Chose To Get Divorced After A Long Marriage

Tell us the " last stalk " that made you end your marriage ceremony .

They say marriage is hard, and it takes work from both people to maintain a happy, healthy relationship. Unfortunately, things don’t always work out, and it may take 10, 20, or maybe even 30 years to realize you no longer want to pursue your marriage.

So, if you’ve been married for several decades and chose to get a divorce, I want to know why you decided to end it.

Maybe you were high school sweethearts and married young, but over the years, you realized you were just two very different people and could no longer make it work.

Perhaps for so long, you told yourself you were staying together “for the kids” because you could no longer see eye-to-eye on things, but once your children became independent adults, you no longer felt like you had a reason to continue on.

Or finally, your partner may have unfortunately cheated, which you found unforgivable. Or maybe you almost felt relief that you had an excuse to finally end it and realized your marriage had been over for a while.

Also, when you decided to divorce, how did your partner react? And how did you feel after making this courageous decision?

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Tell us the “last straw” that made you end your marriage.

A hand holds a ring above an open palm, suggesting a gesture of returning the ring

A bride in an intricate lace gown places a wedding ring on the groom's finger during an outdoor ceremony, with an officiant in a suit looking on

A woman with light hair in a thoughtful pose, resting her hand on her shoulder, while a man with gray hair sits back-to-back with her, both indoors

Two men are in conversation, in a bedroom. One man, with tattoos and sitting up in bed, gestures with his hand while the other, with his back to the camera, listens

They say marriage is hard, and it takes work from both people to maintain a happy, healthy relationship. Unfortunately, things don’t always work out, and it may take 10, 20, or maybe even 30 years to realize you no longer want to pursue your marriage.#

So, if you’ve been married for several decades and chose to get a divorce, I want to know why you decided to end it.#

Maybe you were high school sweethearts and married young, but over the years, you realized you were just two very different people and could no longer make it work.#

Perhaps for so long, you told yourself you were staying together “for the kids” because you could no longer see eye-to-eye on things, but once your children became independent adults, you no longer felt like you had a reason to continue on.#

Or finally, your partner may have unfortunately cheated, which you found unforgivable. Or maybe you almost felt relief that you had an excuse to finally end it and realized your marriage had been over for a while.#

Also, when you decided to divorce, how did your partner react? And how did you feel after making this courageous decision?#