Staying married because of the kids. That's not a new concept.  It's certainly not one I agree with.  Yes, ideally when we have kids with our spouse we envision staying together as a family until the kids are grown.  But what happens when your marriage starts crumbling?  Is it better for the kids if you all stay together under one roof when the stress and tension of a failing marriage are high? 

Do you really want to subject your kids to negative energy that surrounds you and your spouse every day?  I am all for trying to make a marriage work.  I'm not at all an advocate for divorce.  However, I only think that people should stay in a marriage because they are working through the issues and growing together, and it is improving.  I would never recomend staying in an empty relationship filled with anger and hard feelings just for the kids' sake.  Is that really the example you want to set for your kids?  That you are not worth happiness?  That stuffing your feelings and feeling low and empty all of the time is acceptable.  Do you want your kids to feel like tension you can cut with a knife is normal?  Do you want them exposed to all of the fighting, passive aggressive behavior, or even just emptiness? 

I'm not saying that living in a shared custody situation is necessarily easy for kids.  It's not.  But to have a mom and a dad who are happier as individuals is bound to make their entire growing up experience a much more positive one.  You will have plenty of opportunity to teach them about commitment and followthrough without having to be the sacrificial lamb in the process. 

Besides, you may eventually find yourself in a wonderful relationship that will set an incredible example of balance, give and take, honesty and so on.  So, think about it carefully.  Staying just for the kids may not be the most wise decision we make as parents.  Though going is not easy, the tradeoffs may be worth it in the long run.