Mistakes To Avoid When You Go Through A Divorce

If you are thinking about getting a divorce, you need to do everything you can to protect yourself. Because many couples have been in a difficult situation for months or even years by the time the divorce process starts, they make many mistakes by not thinking rationally. Here are some mistakes you must avoid.

1. Don't Start Dating

You may have been in a lot of pain and been incredibly lonely leading up to the divorce. You might even have someone in mind that you would like to start dating. However, just because you have started the divorce process doesn't mean that you can actually start dating. Infidelity is considered grounds for a fault divorce, which means that if you start a relationship without the divorce being final, it could mean your spouse is now entitled to alimony and a bigger settlement. Thus, no matter how lonely, or frustrated you might feel, you need to wait to start dating until you have a final divorce.

2. Don't Make It Too Emotional

Another mistake that people make is making the divorce too emotional. Of course you are going to be highly emotional about the relationship ending. Marriage is incredibly personal and this person knows the most about you and your insecurities and weaknesses. But during the legal process, you must treat it as business agreement. You cannot use the divorce process and mediation as a time to hurt your spouse. For instance, you might not care about the dog, but you know your spouse loves the dog, so you fight tooth and nail to keep the dog, just to spite your spouse. This is a terrible choice and will hurt you as much as it hurts them. You will lose money, you will lose your leverage in the negotiations and it will become much harder if it is emotional and all about hurting each other.

Instead, think about what you need and what you can do without and make your decisions from a business mindset.

3.  Never See The Children As Part Of The Estate

Lastly, the children should be on a whole different level than the estate. Money is just money, but the children's needs must come before anything else. Never use your children as leverage or custody as a way to punish the other person. You will punish your children, who never asked for the divorce, by trying to hurt your spouse. Thus, figure out what is best for the kids and put your needs aside when it comes to custody.

By avoiding these mistakes you can insure a better outcome with your divorce. Contact someone like Ritter & LeClere APC Attorneys At Law to learn more.