Cheating is commonly associated in the minds of many with divorce but should cheating always cause divorce? You might be surprised to learn that the numbers on this don't really add up.
Here's what I mean. When it comes to cheating, the numbers are pretty surprising. Only 17 percent of divorces in the U.S. are the result of affairs. However, recent studies have drawn the conclusion that about 40% of married women and as many as 60% of married men will have sex outside the bonds of their marriage at least once during their relationship.
Knowing this, it's fairly safe to say that not all affairs lead to divorce so, to answer the question "should cheating always cause divorce?" the answer is a resounding no!
But that doesn't mean it won't lead to divorce in your case. Cheating is harder for some people to deal with and move forward than others. There are all sorts of mitigating circumstances. The best solution is not to cheat on your spouse at all but once you've made that mistake you're going to have to face the consequences.
Here are a few things you can do that will improve the odds that you can save your marriage after an affair even more. Even the greatest odds in the world need a little help from Lady Luck once in a while to pay off. It never hurts to stack the deck in your favor when it comes to your efforts to save your marriage from divorce.
1) Talk to your spouse to find out where you and your marriage stands now that word has gotten out. Be honest, be apologetic, but be sincere. Open up and discuss things that are needed to make your marriage better and your willingness to work to make that happen. Don't offer excuses for your cheating and don't make any attempts to shift or assign blame.
2) Woo your sweetheart all over again. You remember the days when you were dating. Those were the golden days in most relationships. You were both all too happy to work to impress one another and really tried to capture the attention of each other. You both tried to make things happen in the relationship. It never hurts to try to catch the eye or the attention of the one you love as long as you go about it in a positive manner. Now is a good time to put that knowledge to the test.