Bea V. Larsen . . . .Commentaries |
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Bea V. Larsen is a Senior Mediator at the Center for Resolution of Disputes in |
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To Go Or To Stay? This entry was posted on 4/26/2008 10:28 AM and is filed under Relationship Dynamics. She rummages in her purse but then pauses, smiles, and remembers that she no longer smokes. It’s a tense moment and she wishes she still did. Deep sigh: he says he just needs some space. What do you think? For some months now, I’ve been aware that the marriage of my friends was troubled, although she was sure they both still valued their bond. Counseling was rejected, her husband insisting this was a private matter and he didn’t need to "get fixed”. My cautionary words were: if respectful conversations are still possible, give it more time. Separations usually become permanent. I realized as I spoke, that although invited to give advice, I had no sound knowledge base for my statement, no actual data to support my conclusion, and I told her so. All of my evidence was anecdotal, and those who separated and then reconciled did not end up on my office couch, so my evidence was not only anecdotal but skewed. Yet many of my divorce mediation clients reported having separated for a trial period, sometimes for as long as a year, only to later decide to end the marriage. For many I surmised that a proposed temporary parting was often one party’s way of letting their partner down easy, suggesting only the need for space, but knowing that their decision to end the marriage was made, and was the right one. For others, I believed that the motive was more sincere, a testing time. I quizzed a friend who is a Magistrate in the Domestic Relations Court and got another perspective on separations. She commented on the number of dramas that had played out in her courtroom where one spouse had asked, even demanded, that the other leave, only to later acknowledge that their real intent was to test the commitment of their partner. The departed spouse had then became happier living on their own, and declined to return. A risky request, probably made impulsively at a moment of hurt or anger. I too had heard this scenario a number of times. I shared my personal experience with my friend, for I well remember those times during my marriage when we were both unhappy, though not always at the same time. It was toughing out those difficult days, struggling for understanding, and to be understood, that repeatedly brought us to a new and better place. Long walks were taken, sometimes together, sometimes alone. There were tearful but also loving times, because we had opportunities to reconnect with spontaneity. While still together we could reach out and touch, smile, or fix a favorite meal, do something to bridge the gap and then begin again to talk. But I know others within my own family who took a different path, lived apart and came back together successfully. A little scarier perhaps. So, on balance, I’ve come to believe, even without reliable evidence, that when unhappy partners remain committed and respectful, most problems are best worked out in close proximity, often with professional help. Although I know there are those exceptions that prove, or probe, this rule, is it not also true that nature abhors a vacuum? The intimacy vacuum created by a separation often gets filled, with new directions, or other people. CommentsDisplay comments as (Linear | Threaded)
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