The decision to end a relationship is usually made by one person, rather than the couple together. But the decision affects everybody and involves them in a long process of separation and divorce.
The personal and emotional process is separate from the legal process. Even without the complicated legal and financial issues, the upheaval for everybody in the family is profound.
Here are some dos and don’ts:
- Don’t rush at the decision. It is not something to be decided in the heat of an argument.
- If you have decided to end the marriage, do test this decision with others (friends and professional advisers) before making it final.
- Do think carefully what your new life will be like, as a single person or as a single parent. Most people take a drop in their standard of living and divorce brings problems of its own.
- If your decision is final, do consider carefully how and when this is going to be communicated – to your husband or wife and to the children.