Why Second Marriages Often End in Divorce
Posted on Sep 30, 2022 10:25am PDT
Recently, MacKenzie Scott, billionaire philanthropist and former wife of
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, reportedly filed for
divorce from her second husband.
According to The Fresno Bee, Scott, who is one of the world’s richest
women, married a high school science teacher named Dan Jewett following
her and Bezos’ divorce in 2019. Meaning while her first marriage lasted 25 years, her second was very
short-lived. There is no word yet on how this will impact Scott’s
fortune or if she and Jewett had a
prenuptial agreement in place.
As of this report, Scott nor Jewett had announced a reason for their divorce.
Why Do Second Marriages Fail?
Whether it’s your first, second, or fifth marriage, marriages can
fail for all sorts of reasons. There’s so much involved in sharing
your life with someone that the chances of your lives fitting together
perfectly is virtually impossible. However, what can make it even more
difficult the second time around is that you bring more into your second
marriage than your first, most notably the good and bad of your previous marriage.
So, if you know the pitfalls you fell into during your prior marriage,
how can your second marriage fail?
The following are a few common reasons why second marriages often fail:
-
Too Soon – In some cases, people are in new relationships as soon as the
judge signs their divorce papers. While there is certainly nothing wrong
with finding new love, it is sometimes unwise to do it before you have
had enough time to heal from your previous relationship. After the initial
attraction fades, the person could find themselves in another marriage
headed for divorce.
-
Attraction – Speaking of attraction, many of us have a type of person that
we’re attracted to, and in some cases, the type of person we’re
attracted to isn’t good for us. Following the end of their marriage,
people can re-enter the dating pool and immediately target people who
are just like their former spouse. In many cases, they don’t even
realize they’re doing it until it’s too late and they’re
filing for another divorce.
-
Kids – When a couple shares children, the love they have for their kids
can help them stay together longer than they would’ve if they weren’t
parents. However, second marriages often introduce stepchildren. Unlike
when a couple shares natural children, stepchildren can be a bit of a
wildcard when it comes to helping or hurting a second marriage. Stepparents
and stepchildren can sometimes struggle to connect with each other and
build a healthy and positive relationship. Their lack of connection can
sometimes bleed over into the marriage, leading to the couple growing
apart and eventually getting divorced.
-
Your Ex – Like stepchildren, ex-spouses can be a wildcard when it comes
to their impact on their former spouse’s second marriage. In some
cases, they are very happy that their ex has gotten remarried because
it helps them financially as far as
spousal support and
child support go. However, in some instances, they still carry a torch for their ex
and are jealous of their new marriage. In these cases, ex-spouses can
use the family court system to disrupt their former spouse’s new
marriage. They will continuously find ways to drag their ex back into
court long after their divorce has been finalized just to cause emotional
and financial stress to their ex-spouse’s new marriage. This can
ultimately result in second marriages cracking under the pressure and
ending in divorce.
To learn more about second divorces, or to speak with our experienced divorce attorneys in Fresno, call Arnold Law Group, APC
at (559) 900-1263 or contact us online
today for a confidential consultation. Our legal team has more than three
decades of experience and a history of helping our clients secure the
best possible outcomes to their situations.