It has just been confirmed that Maria Shriver, wife of Arnold Schwarzenegger has moved out of the family home in Brentwood. According to a statement released by the couple, they are trying to determine the fate of their 25 year marriage. “After a great deal of thought, reflection, discussion and prayer, we came to this decision together. At this time, we are living apart while we work on the future of our relationship.”
As most or all of you know, when Arnold ran for Governor of California, Maria gave up her TV career in order to be a full time partner, political spouse and mother to their four children. Her choice to do so showed a willingness to put her own career and aspirations on hold in order to support her spouse- a decision many women make, but also a choice that many others are not willing to make.
It would be easy to speculate about what the issues were in this high profile union- like the difficulty of two high powered people managing their different aspirations and goals, or the talk about Arnie’s super-sized ego that left little room for Maria’s need for recognition and autonomy. However, this would only be speculation as no one could possibility know what goes on in someone else’s marriage- take this from a therapist- you really don’t know.
I wish Arnold and Maria a productive time of soul searching and working on their future plans as they moved towards either reconciliation or divorce. Marriage is challenging and even long term marriages can sometimes begin to falter or the individuals may decide that the relationship no longer meets their needs or is no longer a healthy one for them. Let this be a cautionary tale for everyone- even if you have your health, fame and fortune, a good sized brood of healthy kids you both love- and all the resources every family could ever need, your marriage could end up on the rocks, too.
