Ask An Attorney – Emotionally Distant Marriage
White Lake Divorce Attorney Kathryn Wayne-Spindler was recently featured in the Ask An Attorney section of the West Oakland County Spinal Column Newsweekly. She answered a question about divorce options when one or both parties is experiencing emotionally distant marriage.
Q: My husband and I just celebrated our 18th anniversary but there wasn’t much to celebrate. We are distant and hardly ever communicate. I’ve tried everything I can think of to reconnect with him. We are still functioning well as a parenting team and household co-managers, but there is nothing emotionally satisfying about our relationship. I’m about done. Is divorce my only option?
Try Counseling for Emotionally Distant Marriage
A: All people go into a wedding hoping their marriage will last forever. Somewhere along the way though, their spousal relationship takes a back-seat to childrearing, careers, financial trauma and household responsibilities. If you haven’t tried couples’ therapy I sometimes counsel clients to give it a try. I also strongly recommend sharing the book “Five Love Languages” by Gary Chapman. If you still work well enough together to negotiate civilly, a mediated divorce might be a cost-efficient and time-saving option. For some clients the wife’s emotional neglect is severe enough to constitute abuse, in which case I would do everything I could protect you and defend your rights in court. I tell people marriage is one of the hardest things you will do because the love of marriage is conditional. Spouses must work very hard to cultivate their marriage and make it last. Sometimes a free consultation with a knowledgeable family law attorney can help you make the final decision about whether divorce is the best option or if something else may work.
For a free consultation, contact Oakland County Family Law Firm Kathryn Wayne-Spindler & Associates at 248-676-1000. The law firm helps clients throughout Southeastern Michigan including Oakland, Wayne, Washtenaw, Genesee and Livingston Counties. The attorneys at Kathryn Wayne-Spindler & Associates handles cases in Milford, Michigan; White Lake; Highland; Hartland; Commerce; Waterford; Walled Lake; Novi; Howell; New Hudson; South Lyon; Linden; Grand Blanc; Holly and many more local communities.
Posted by Christine Donlon Long
Communications’ Specialist for Kathryn Wayne-Spindler & Associates
