I admit, I was quite disappointed when I heard that another long married couple who have been friends to me  decided to call it quits, and that was just a day before Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver made their break-up public. It is not only disappointing, it could be frustrating as well since these break ups either represent times have indeed change or seniors are now fickle-minded about their choices.
I was proud to say that we seniors marry for reasons long enough to stick. We were taught to consider marriage as something you cherish and keep forever however with senior marriages breaking and senior couples splitting, I am not so sure  anymore.
But one can’t help but think, why are they splitting and why so sudden, after years of being married? In Arnold and Maria’s case, we know that infidelity might be the reason but I don’t think that is the entire reason behind their decision to go on separate ways. That can’t be, if you look at my perspective. It is important to note too that extramarital affairs are seldom the reason in 50-something marriages breaking up. However, it can be the “last pulled string” to most senior marriages.
According to my friends who recently divorced their longtime partners, their break ups are a long-overdue one. Most of them endured the years just because of the same reason why marriages within my generation have successfully made it to their golden years: that is, we were taught to stay married to our partners and never jump from a marriage to another. Aside from that, our mothers told us that divorces were just done in Hollywood, not from where we live.
Like my friends say, they would have gone through divorce earlier if they had guts to do so. When asked what they mean by divorce being long-overdue, the only answer I seem to get is that the break up was a result of accumulated things, resulting into the end of years’ worth of being together.
My view is that it is really easy to grow apart when being married too long. Just because you’ve been too comfortable with your partner doesn’t mean it is okay to ignore them. Sometimes, it takes a little effort to show appreciation and by doing so, rekindling the fire that was your love and relationship. I just hate seeing senior couples breaking away from their marriages since retirement should be the time when they enjoy each other’s company and be each other’s comfort despite all the hardships that come with longterm marriages.