Dating a married man hurts you in more ways than you may realize.
The question of ending a relationship with a married man is one that is easily answered: 1) yes you should end it and 2) you should end it now. While one can argue that you should do this because of ethical reasons and the risk of breaking up a family (particularly if there are children involved), there are other reasons for ending a relationship with a married man. Reasons, in fact, that have more to do with your happiness than anything else.
So, if you find yourself married to someone who is already taken, remember this:
He probably won’t leave: One of the reasons women stay with married men is because they are promised they won’t be married for long. Men convince their mistresses that they’ll leave their wives after this happens or after that happens. But, no matter how much your guy promises to meet with the divorce lawyer, action is a whole other ballgame. In fact, most studies find that of all the married men who promise to leave their wives, only about one in five actually do.
Even if he does leave, things don’t look good: In the rare event that the guy you are dating chooses to leave his wife, your relationship still doesn’t have a strong chance of survival. This is a huge reason for ending a relationship with a married man: only about 5 percent of relationships that come from affairs end up lasting in the long run.
The other woman branding: The man who is cheating on his wife is the guiltiest party in this equation, but if you knowingly date someone who is already married, you share in his culpability. Even if you don’t buy into this, society sees it this way and society will paint you as the “other woman” every time you and your married man go out and paint the town red.
The once a cheater adage: Another reason for ending a relationship with a married man comes from the once a cheater always a cheater adage. Your guy has already proved to you that he possesses a flaw in his character: he is unfaithful. He’s done it once, making him more likely to do it again. It’s really simple actually: if you want to know what people will do in the future, look at what they have done in the past.
You deserve better: The final reason for ending a relationship with a married man has to do with you alone: you deserve better. Dating a married man means sneaking around, jumping through hoops, acting immoral, and hurting others. Dating a man who is not married, on the other hand, involves roses and wine, weekend getaways and the ability to go on dinner dates in public places. Dating a man who isn’t married also involves commitment, something a married man is unable to give you. Dating someone who is already taken also means compromising who you are and your own happiness. In four little words, this means one thing: he’s not worth it.
Source: Daily Graphic