They seem like they’re pretty miserable as a couple.

We all know those couples who should break up. Sometimes you have friends who date someone for years and gradually drift apart from their partner, but those aren’t the people I’m talking about. I’m talking about the couples with absolutely rancid vibes every time you see them together. It takes about five minutes talking to them to figure that out. They don’t have any genuine affection for one another, and it’s not just that they put work and kids ahead of their romantic relationship. Their mortgage and their children are literally the only reasons they’re still together. If they broke up, they’d have to sell their house and downsize, and many people would rather live in a loveless marriage with someone they despise than give up the lifestyle they’ve become accustomed to. They act as if they are roommates, and functionally, that’s what they are: roommates who sleep in the same bed. 

Every relationship includes its fair share of bickering, but if a couple cannot find a way to compromise on simple stuff, they aren’t going to make it. You can’t function if your partner constantly micromanages your schedule and tells you what you can and can’t do with your kid. At that point, you might as well divorce and share custody, so you can at least be the parent you want to be when you are taking care of your kid.