Can a cheater ever really stop being a cheater?
Is it possible for someone to change who they are, and turn away from their deceitful ways?
The saying that a leopard can never change its spots has been around forever, and the conversation indeed isn't a new one. But the question popped up for me again this week.
I was recently at a friend's house for dinner and a girl who I met there opened up about how her husband, who she has been married to for ten years, cheated on her more than once. The first being before they even got married. Crazy, right?
Read: Are you micro-cheating on your partner?
The reason she stays is that they have two children together, and she doesn't want to separate as they won't be able to handle mum and dad not being a couple anymore.
Firstly, if the guy cheats before you have even said 'I do', isn't that cause for concern? Secondly, if he has done it once and you have patched it up, aren't you sending the message that it's okay to do it again?
Read: Busted! Durban man who cheated with his brother-in-law calls Thandolwethu!
I also wonder if the underlying tension and heated fights are more destructive for the kids than actually separating? Ultimately, it's quite a difficult one.
What do you think? Would you ever take a cheater back?