On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Legal Separation on Wednesday, November 28, 2012.
Many families already know that this will be their last holiday season all living together under the same roof. In many cases, at least one spouse plans on a separation in the near future. Typically, these spouses tend to wait until once the holidays have passed to start to take steps to end the marriage.
Knowing a separation, and in many cases the start of a divorce, is less than a month away can be hard for many spouses, especially those who have children. However, there are specific things parents can do now to ensure a smoother transition and to better protect finances in the future.
For children, the thought of transitioning from one household to two households can be quite intimidating. However, if parents were already planning on separating before the holidays, this time of getting along together and still celebrating can be used to show the children that their parents are capable of getting along and communicating — even if they don’t want to be married to each other.
During this holiday season, now is also the time to start holiday traditions that can easily be carried out next year in two households. This will help not only the children, but the parents, transition during the first holiday season after the divorce.
Lastly, while now is the time to buy gifts, if a separation is on the horizon, talk about budgeting. Especially when joint credit cards are being used, having conversations beforehand can make splitting up those expenses after the separation even easier. Around this time, also start to collect all bank account information and other financial statements.
During this time, Missouri parents need to keep in mind that they are not alone and that there are plenty of other parents who are also planning a separation for after the holidays. Rather than dwell on the separation, use this as a time to talk with a family law attorney in order to learn more about the process.
Source: The Huffington Post, “Thinking Separation Over The Holidays,” Eva Sachs and Marion Korn, Nov. 27, 2012
