Tips on What Not To Do During a Separation
With over 20 years of legal practice, Attorney Phillip P. Owens II has seen a lot regarding separation and divorce. One always hopes that couples will work out their differences, and while sometimes they do, they often don’t. What happens during a legal separation and how you handle your life during that time can impact the separation and the divorce. If children are involved, what you do can impact custody, child support, and other financial matters that are part of legal separation and divorce.
Here is our list of things Owen’s Law Office recommends not doing during a separation when so much is at stake.
Do not start a relationship with someone else while separated from your spouse.
The whole purpose of a separation is to see if your marriage is over or if you can salvage it. If you start a relationship with someone else, you are saying the marriage is over, and divorce is the next step.
Instead, date yourself. Reflect on what you did right and maybe what you did wrong. Then, look at the situation to see if there is room for improvement and your role in that process. Separation is a time to look hard at your life, goals, and what the future holds for you as a single person and as a married partner.
Separation Should Be Mutual
The premise behind a legal separation is about saving the marriage. You have agreed to separate to see if divorce is the answer or if you can work together to make the relationship work. Doing so makes a legal separation a mutual decision. You both are working individually on what your goals are moving forward during that time. You are discussing issues and opportunities to change things for the better.
Leave the Kids Out of It
If you have children, leave them out of it. You and your spouse should cohabitate in the same house. Do not move out as it can impact visiting rights and custody. Move to another bedroom. You are in a legal separation, not reentering life as a single person. Take care of your obligations within the home. Do laundry, run errands, cook your meals, clean up after yourself, etc.
Come together to discuss issues civilly, and use a mediator if needed. The kids should barely recognize that your relationship with your spouse is in jeopardy. Support each other with child-rearing, discipline, and keep your opinion of your spouse to yourself. Whether you like it or not, your spouse is almost always going to be a part of the children’s lives. Be a good parent and support the other parent during this time.
Family Law Help When You Need It
Attorney Phillip P. Owens II has developed a deep knowledge of a wide range of legal issues, including separation and divorce, in his decades of practice. If your relationship needs a break, give Owen’s Law Office a call. They can help you handle legal separation, divorce, and family law issues. They provide professional legal services throughout the Oklahoma City community.
