If your marriage has been troubled for a while, you may want to brace yourself: The end of summer is also typically the end of a lot of rocky marriages.
Research has shown for a while now that there’s a sudden spike in new divorce filings every August. Why does this happen? Here are a few possibilities that can help you predict the future of your own relationship:
Summer vacations are over but the holidays haven’t started
There are two times of the year that are very “family-oriented,” and that’s summer vacation and the winter holidays. While couples with children tend to be particularly concerned about not creating negative associations with either time period, even couples without children may hesitate to pull the trigger on a divorce so that they don’t have to navigate either season while newly single.
Since August marks the end of summer but the winter holidays are still comfortably far off, starting a divorce now gives everybody a chance to adjust to the changes in a less pressure-filled time.
Summer may have been the last-ditch effort – and the final straw
Another reason that divorces spike around this time of year comes down to human nature: It’s normal to not want to give up on your relationship without a fight.
Some couples may have hoped that the summer adventures and a little vacation time would renew their romantic feelings and bring them together with their spouse again – so they waited to make their final decision until they saw what happened.
Other couples may have been “on the fence” about their relationship and undecided about whether they wanted to divorce or not – and summer may have provided some clarity. If all that togetherness during the season led to fighting and heartbreak, it may have been just enough to prompt them to action.
If you see a divorce in your future, don’t wait until your spouse serves you with papers to find out how to protect your interests.