Sometimes it might be hard to know if a fight or a sigh or an eye roll or a found voodoo doll indicates that a relationship is ending or if it’s just in a bad patch. But it does seem like typically you might notice some signs the end is nigh.
The Huffington Post asked several men, “Hey, what was the moment when you knew your marriage was over?” And surprisingly (or not so surprisingly, depending on your expectations of men), they said it was literally the moment their wives said, “This marriage is over,” took their things, physically left, or hired a divorce lawyer.
For example:
I knew it was over when I got home from another long day at work and my kids told me that mommy took them out to Burger King to eat and told them they were moving to Canada and Daddy wasn’t going with them.
And again:
I knew my relationship was over when I got on the computer and saw a copy of a signed lease for my wife’s new house. I obviously knew nothing about her plan or that we were even heading down that path. The previous day she had hung up some Valentine’s Day paintings I made for her.
And one more for good measure:
I had two moments: I knew it was over when she moved out of the master bedroom and when she actually saw a lawyer and filed for legal separation.
So, if you’ve been signaling your relationship discontent by sighing loudly, blatantly seeing other people, or leaving little “I hate you and am unhappy” notes, and it doesn’t seem like your husband is taking the hint, just make an Irish exit. He’ll finally get the message that you’ve been thinking about leaving.
