<p>
I was thinking the exact same thing!</p>
<p>I think</p>
<h1>1- they already have put quite a lot into it.- 40 years- very difficult situations any one of which would try a marriage.</h1>
<p>Plus not really spring chickens - I am sure they know what is involved.</p>
<h1>2 They live very separate lives - physically as it seems emotionally and socially.</h1>
<p>Personally I think it is healthier to take the conscious step of a separation- to have time to think without the added stress of " keeping up the marriage", than to just continue to live separate lives without the support of having a partner who you can get emotional/physical and social support from.</p>
<p>Not only that but since they are well known- anytime they might be seen with another man/woman, whatever the relationship, you would have the stress of how that would be interpreted in the media.</p>
<p>A separation doesn’t mean the end of their marriage- but it sounds like a place to consider the next path.</p>
<p>hey look, another “family values” politician not practicing what they preach!</p>
<p>surprise!!!</p>
<p>I’m so glad they moved this to the Parent’s Cafe as I refuse to post in the E&P board anymore.</p>
<p>This was such a surprise to me. I’ll never forget the infamous kiss at the convention that was then replicated on SNL. I agree that new information will come out eventually, but everything I read now says it’s a mutual decision. </p>
<p>I will say, Al Gore has really put on the weight over the past few years. I wonder if he has just neglected himself so much that Tipper couldn’t live with it anymore. He needs a serious lifestyle change.</p>
<p>My guess is that one or both of them want to be seen out in public with a new special someone. So they’ve separated and then when one of them is seen coming out of a restaurant or vacationing with someone else, there won’t be a scandal. </p>
<p>If there weren’t a new love interest, why bother with all the publicity and money issues of divorce or separation. They could have lead separate lives in their separate mansions. When you don’t have to see the other person day to day, they aren’t there to get on your nerves.</p>
<p>They may have gone through many struggles and even counseling to get to this point. Nobody really knows what goes on in a marriage.</p>
<p>Nobody jumps into divorce after 40 years without a good reason. I am pretty sure they have thought it through. There must be something going on. </p>
<p>Buying an expensive house out by Santa Barbara in Montecito. Maybe Tipper can go chat with Oprah (who lives in the neighborhood when she is in California).</p>
<p>My DH and I just had this discussion earlier today, not about the Gore’s, but some friends married 20+ years who just announced a separation; they are doing counseling and will re-evaluate in a few months, but the sheer volume of people who have split up since D1 graduated from HS has shocked me.</p>
<p>I suppose what bothered me about most of them is that 10-15-20-25 years ago, they were the ones I deemed “stable” Sure when the kids were little there were those less stable families- Joe’s an alcoholic, Jim never holds a job, etc. There were kids we knew who were growing up in an unstable life situation. Then there were the rest of “us”, you know the “stable” ones. HA! Since DD graduated, there have been parents of all of my DDs friends who have split for many different reasons.</p>
<p>I feel like, in the absence of abuse, addiction, adultery, a couple chose each other and ought to choose to work on their differences. Perhaps we are lucky, we faced a family crisis about 15-20 years ago, when we were still married less than 10 years. We made a conscious decision to stick together until that crisis was over, to not make any permanent decisions until we were back to whatever we could call “normal” and 5 years later when that happened, we had grown so much closer and endured so much together that we sincerely were committed to each other in an entirely new & different & much deeper way. Maybe if that had hit later we would not have been as motivated??</p>
<p>Whatever the story, it saddens me greatly when I see people married 20+ years make the choice to split up.</p>
<p>As someone married 25 years who chose to end it in the absence of abuse, I disagree with many here. There is an attitude here that you should settle-keep it together for the friendship, the kids who are adults, the history. But what about fully living? What about romance, feeling alive, being truly happy?</p>
<p>What’s so special about stable? I look around and more friends than not are going through the motions and putting up with spouses they fell out of love with long ago. My happiest friends, in general, are those in second marriages/romances.</p>
<p>With so many of us living to 100, why settle for mediocrity when we’re still young? I’m much happier taking a chance on achieving the real thing.</p>
<p>My husband and I have been married for almost 25 years and yes, there are times both of us want to ring each others’ necks, but we get over it. We have a lot of respect for each other and we accepted a long time ago that neither one of us are perfect. Although, when my husband is driving me crazy I force myself to focus on all of his good qualities. After a while I am able to laugh about his “stupid moments” and think about how good he is to me. Relationships take a lot of work and I agree that too many people give up too easily. I also know of a number of couples who divorced and then, after finding out the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, get back together.</p>
<p>Unless one of the Gore’s is involved with someone else maybe they just need an official separation to rekindle their feelings for each other. For some they don’t realize what they had until they lose it.</p>
<p>I think no one is inside anyone else’s marriage and I don’t think one can speculate that the parties “didn’t try hard enough” unless you are either one of the parties involved or a marriage counselor privy to the details. </p>
<p>In a sad way, it’s almost refreshing that this is a cordial, amicable separation with no affairs versus the shame and humiliation of an affair and betrayed spouse.</p>
<p>I agree with red roses. </p>
<p>My parents had one of those amicable divorces after the kids were grown. My mother lives in the same city as my sister and me; my father has a new lady friend (met well after thevmarriage was over) and lives with her To the points raised earlier – there’s no awkwardness. My parents are fully capable of being in the same room, visiting, being together with us on holidays, etc. They greet each other warmly and it’s sincere. They will always have some love for one another and wish the other well. Frankly it’s a hell of a lot more peaceful than H’s parents, who have open scorn for one another at times and yell at each other in front of us and should have gotten divorced years ago. Oh, but they’re still married. Whoop de doo. </p>
<p>There is a LOT to be said for an amicable adult separation or divorce.</p>
<p>And who says the 2000 kiss wasn’t completely sincere? I don’t get some of the thought processes on here.</p>
<p>And to the point of “they could each live in different places and not have to run into one another” – my parents seriously considered that – having my mother move up to where my sister and I live, dad stay in their hometown with job, and “explain” it to others by just saying that they bought a condo in Chicago to be close to the grandkids. They could do this financially so that wasn’t the issue. But then what about vacations? When my dad retired? Ultimately it’s intellectually and emotionally dishonest to live like that. Better to separate amicably vs be worn down by pretense.</p>
<p>“They could have lead separate lives in their separate mansions.”</p>
<p>Lol - an option not available to most of us…</p>
<p>
Yes, but a long-married couple has been working on their differences for the duration of the marriage. I can’t fault folks who just run out of energy for it, especially after several decades. The human heart is unknowable, isn’t it?</p>
<p>Ugh . . . the 2000 kiss was just so staged.</p>
<p>On the other hand, though this was shocking to me as well, at least they have announced it in a somewhat democratic (ha ha) way- in other words, at this point, nothing ugly, splashed on the front of a rag mag, accusing, etc. The announcement seems sort of thought out, matter of fact.</p>
<p>Still sad. Still shocking. But yeah, I agree, let’s see what falls in coming weeks.</p>
<p>Red Roses - thanks for your post.</p>
<p>As one who filed for divorce after 26 years of “marriage” - all I have to say it just goes to show ya that you never know what goes on behind closed doors.</p>
<p>I agree, none of us know what happened. None of us would want anyone here commenting/speculating on why the marriage ended. It is a private matter.</p>
<p>I think the Montecito home is no shocker because Al Gore is involved to a limited manner in the film industry.</p>
<p>I read on Drudge that their net worth is 100 million. I am just curious how much of that the attorney’s will receive, because I highly doubt there was a pre-nup.</p>
<p>As far as the children and yes, I recall they do have grandbabies. I hope they take a page from Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez I recall watching on the Biography channel a show about Lucille Ball, and they showed footage of Desi at Lucy’s house swimming with the grandkids. Their DD had said that even though the divorce was not pretty, in the end they moved past it. She went onto say that every holiday was celebrated together as a family…just the folks had other mates.</p>
<p>Not every divorce is messy. Sometimes, you wake up one morning and look at your mate as a stranger. You start to see friends leave this world, and you ask yourself, why are we together? Yes, I love you, but I am not in love with you. I want you to be happy, but I want to be happy too. </p>
<p>Too many times people forget that we grow and change over yrs. Even with counseling, the change may be too big to overcome. Bullet and I are married 21 yrs, together for 27 yrs this month. It is work to keep a marriage together. For us, we do silly things like going to the farmers market or refinishing a piece of furniture. In this day of computers and tv, many couples go to work, come home, have dinner and then spend the rest of the night in different parts of the home. Sooner or later that leads to being nothing more than acquaintances living under the same roof!</p>
<p>I think it’s fine if they want to divorce and move on with thier lives in an amicable and civilized fashion. It’s certainly much more kind and loving to separate BEFORE you start dating other people. JMO.</p>
<p>I really don’t think we’ll hear anything else. I’d guess they’ve just cooled off into being very good freinds, now, and good for them for managing it without turning it into a big messy public war.</p>
<p>For some reason I’ve always liked her. Him, not as much.</p>
<p>*For some reason I’ve always liked her. Him, not as much. *</p>
<p>Me, too.</p>
<p>However, I’m still hoping that with some time apart, they’ll eventually work things out.</p>