I want a divorce. This is perhaps the most disruptive statement anyone can receive from a spouse. Ending a marriage involves many things which impact the couple and others, including children. It is important to try to make a divorce as peaceful as possible. It shouldn’t be handled like a war that leaves only an unbridled bundle of problems. Couples involved in a divorce can propose not to go to court and choose to solve the issue in an amicable manner
This way, the innocent victims involved in marriage won’t suffer during the divorce process. Couples that handle the proceeding amicably do so to end their differences, not necessarily because they’re enemies. Try as much as possible to have a noiseless ending to your marriage.
That said, divorcing peacefully is easier said than done. You can’t just wake up and decide that you’ll be rational or guarantee that your partner will keep their cool. This article highlights ten ways to make a divorce as smooth as possible.
1. Child Support Plan
Where children are involved, the divorce process can be very stressful as couples struggle to ensure their children’s welfare remains secure even after the end of the marriage. Who stays with the children, and what should the other partner do to continue enjoying parental rights after the divorce? You must hire the services of a child custody lawyer if you want to make a divorce as smooth as possible. Child custody lawyers are experienced with matters related to children’s rights and will be able to guide you on what you need to do to keep the process smooth.
A Child Custody Lawyer will also help you follow up on the agreements to ensure your child’s rights are strictly observed after a divorce. You’ll also have easier access to your child’s visits when the right procedures are in place. If you seek to retain custody of your child after the divorce, your child rights attorney will guide you on the available possibilities and requirements.
2. Children’s Dental Health
Decide on the facility and who will oversee the child’s health, especially dental care. You should agree with your ex-partner on maintaining your child’s oral hygiene. Maintaining a healthy smile and finding the right dentistry office are key. Your child’s baby teeth require delicate care.
You should ensure the temporary teeth removal is done professionally and good follow-up to ensure the permanent teeth grow correctly. This requires routine dental visits, which you should keep up with during a divorce. Neglecting your child’s dental health can lead to tooth decay and other dental diseases, which isn’t a good idea when looking for ways to make a divorce as smooth as possible. You and your partner must agree on the best method to help keep your child’s dental care in check.
Your child’s dental health is of the utmost importance when contemplating divorce because, if neglected, it can lead to legal suits against the parent who has custody of the child. Children will also blame their parents when they grow up and realize they have faulty dentals due to negligence by their parents. These children have a right to sue their parents if they feel the need.
3. Financial Obligations
Consider how you’ll manage your financial obligations, especially if you’re struggling financially. Do you have joint loans that you are servicing together? Or do you have other financial commitments that you share? You might need a bankruptcy lawyer to help you file a bankruptcy petition.
The last thing you want is to continue feeling attached to your partner after the divorce due to joint financial commitments. This is worse if you have financial problems because they could be why you go to court. The idea behind filing for bankruptcy is to avoid conflicts that may follow after a divorce. If you’re looking for ways to make a divorce as smooth as possible, ensure you end the marriage without serious financial obligations. File for bankruptcy if need be.
4. Write a Will
Succession lawsuits are common even years after the divorce process. It’s wise to clearly state how you wish your assets to be distributed after your demise. Write a will explaining how this should be done to avoid disagreements later. You don’t want your ex-spouse to get your assets by default after you’re gone.
Family lawyers can be quite helpful when writing a will. They’re experienced with divorce succession cases and are best positioned to advise you on making a will that best represents your interests. Hire a good family lawyer as one of your ways to make a divorce as smooth as possible.
Writing a will ensures your children’s inheritance is safeguarded if you or your ex-spouse remarries. Family attorneys can also become your witness in a succession case. Divorce can result in endless court cases when the issue isn’t properly defined and all parties disagree. To keep things peaceful at the end of your marriage and during your death, involve a family attorney when deciding how your properties or assets should be shared.
5. Your Spouse Professional Practice
When trying to find ways to make a divorce as smooth as possible, professional investment shouldn’t be shared during joint property sharing. Practices like law firms or medical clinics aren’t shared in a divorce suit, even if the other partner contributed to buying equipment or tools for the facility. The spouse retains all rights to continue practicing as the sole owner.
For example, if your spouse is a dentist, they’ll retain ownership of the dental facility as it is. This shouldn’t be shared when sharing marital property. The dental practice equipment and tools won’t be part of the case. The other spouse will be compensated through other family assets.
To avoid the noisy and messy divorce processes, you must agree on what the other spouse should get as compensation for what they didn’t share. It is only the marriage that ends and not your spouse’s career. Don’t ruin existing professional, successful establishments, which can ultimately be the child’s inheritance.
6. Children’s Education
Your divorce shouldn’t compromise your child’s education. It’s only the marriage that ends; your parental responsibility will always remain. A good way to make a divorce as smooth as possible is to plan well for your children’s education.
You’ll need to decide which schools your children will attend if you want them to transfer, but they shouldn’t be lower quality than where they were before the divorce. If the child hasn’t started schooling, agree on the best nursery school for their needs, including distance from the primary residence. The non-custodial parent should be allowed to give their opinion on the kind of nursery they prefer for the child.
Always involve your ex-spouse when making major decisions that affect your children. Failure to consider your partner’s opinion and financial abilities will cause them financial strain, leading to disagreement after divorce. Your ex-spouse has equal rights to decide on the best school for the child, especially if they contribute to their school needs.
7. Seek Legal Advice and Guidance
It isn’t surprising to find many couples intending to divorce changing their minds after talking to someone experienced. Others whose divorce process has been chaotic end up divorcing amicably after getting good advice. Divorce lawyers have years of experience handling many such cases, and they’re well-versed in the causes of divorce, so it’s in your best interest to consult them before embarking on the process.
Going it alone might make you react emotionally to issues that can be amicably solved. Understanding all the legal requirements and implications of divorce for you and your child is wise. Divorce lawyers play a major role when it comes to disputes that may require to be settled in court. Succession cases also arise in divorce processes, and divorce lawyers play a central role in resolving these issues, especially where they have been involved as witnesses in drafting a will.
8. Talk to Your Bigger Children
Though it’s easy to deal with younger children and babies who may not understand the implications of divorce clearly, bigger children know what’s going on. It’s also important to talk to them and listen to their views. Students in high schools are mature enough to understand the effects of divorce.
It might be wise to involve the services of a professional counselor to guide your children through this process and prepare them for the effects. Don’t lose focus on the welfare of your children, even as the divorce process takes shape. They need your psychological and emotional support for them to remain academically focused.
9. Mentally Stability
Divorce is a traumatizing experience for many people. It can be devastating, leaving you psychologically and emotionally disoriented. To make a divorce as smooth as possible, have a professional psychiatrist walk you through the process. Both you and your child must be psychologically prepared for the divorce process.
Establish a good psychiatry clinic where you’ll attend therapy sessions until you overcome the trauma of divorce. Stable mental strength is an indispensable requirement if you’re looking for a peaceful ending to your marriage. Some couples have ended up in mental hospitals after an overwhelming divorce process. Let your psychiatrist know every challenge you’re going through and how they make you feel.
10. Estate Administrator
One of the ways to make a divorce as smooth as possible is to have a good plan for your properties. Whether you intend to dispose of some of your properties or plan to keep them, getting a good estate administration plan is important. You’ll need a reliable estate planner to help you do this. Estate planning prevents you from property-sharing legal suits and family disputes.
Estate planners are experienced and will help you know the best way to do this. Get a good estate administration attorney to guide you. This will help you to ensure that your properties are well-managed and maintained now and in the future. Your estate will remain safe even after a divorce or if you get sick or even die.
11. Make Peace Yourself
Whether you’re divorcing due to unfaithfulness or financial reasons, you and your partner don’t have to be sworn enemies. You still have interests that will keep you tied to each other in other ways. Your children will always be your children. Whatever you do, don’t let a marriage breakup leave you with unbridled hate and bitterness.
Make peace with yourself. Let it go and move on again. Accept that you did all you could to prevent the worst. One of the best ways to make a divorce as smooth as possible is to allow yourself to heal from its effects.
12. Finding a Great Divorce Lawyer
There’s no denying that enlisting the help of a legal professional, in this case, a divorce lawyer, will make the process much easier and smoother. However, note that you can’t trust every ‘attorney’ you encounter. Some may be amateurs who are after your money, while others may not specialize in your specific case.
You can start by seeking referrals from family members and close friends to get great leads. At least this way, you can be sure their reviews are honest. The internet can also be a great resource for finding reputable and experienced divorce lawyers. All you need to do is use keywords such as ‘divorce attorney near me.’
Only consider those in your state of residence. You want a legal professional you can easily reach in case of anything. They should also have years of experience handling different types of divorce cases. Setting up interviews with the lawyers you’re considering is a great way to verify anything you need about a professional. Meet as many attorneys as you can to increase your chances of finding the right one.
Rather than seeing divorce as the worst that happened to your marriage, consider it a peaceful settlement to end something that hasn’t worked. It’s a solution to a more difficult problem. Your psychologist will tell you to accept and move on.
A smooth divorce isn’t always an easy task. It’s not going to work without enough effort from both parties. However, a positive mind will achieve it in the end. Be positive and believe that it can end without court cases. If ending the marriage is the only option, try to do so as smoothly as possible. There’s no need for prolonged and endless court battles.