The New York Times has been publishing some great pieces about divorce; last week they published "Never Too Old to Hurt From Parents' Divorce" regarding the effect of divorce on adult children. The author, Jane Gordon Julien, discusses what we divorce lawyers have observed for several years now - the divorce rate amongst married people over 50 is soaring. (We refer to it as "The Grey Divorce"). Adult children can be completely shocked by their parents' divorce, leading them to question the foundation upon which they built their own relationships, or they might have been expecting it for years and need to grieve nonetheless. Divorce hurts, at any age.
Staying together for the sake of the kids used to the be the norm, but norms are changing. Societal acceptance of divorce is increasing and research is beginning to show that living with parents in constant conflict does more damage to children than divorce. And as Ms. Julien points out in her astute piece, you're really never too old to feel the pain of your parents' divorce.
So when it comes to doing whats best for the kids, it turns out a good divorce might be better than a bad marriage.