Hello everyone:

Let me tell you a story about a widower I once knew. He was married for many years to a woman who bore him one child, a son. She died in her early 60s of lung disease caused by years of smoking. He remarried but things did not work out with wife #2 and the couple got divorced after just a few years.  A couple of years later, he remarried again. This time it seemed like things would work out but one day he was diagnosed with a chronic disease that would eventually lead to death. His new wife (number 3) called the man’s sister and told her, “Come take care of him. I’m not going to do it.”

The sister obeyed,  taking care of the now-elderly man until he died a few months later. After the funeral, wife #3 told the son to come over to the house. He did and was led to a room where three used sports shirts were laying on the bed. He was told that he could have one of them to remember his father by.  He picked one and was informed that the shirt was his total inheritance. Wife #3 got everything else. A few months after that, wife #3’s daughter had her declared incompetent by the state and the daughter took everything her mother had claimed as hers. As a result of not having a prenuptial agreement, the son got nothing but a threadbare shirt; a daughter who barely knew the elderly man ended up with all of his worldly goods.

While I do not usually care for prenuptial agreements, there are times when they come in handy. I am not a lawyer and do not pretend to be one, but if you intend to re-marry, you better make sure that your kids are provided for and that you carefully consider what you are about to do. “Marry in haste, repent at leisure” as the old saying goes.

What stories can you share about remarriages? I would love to hear from you!

Best,

Dr. Sheri