Separating From Your Partner: The 3 Things You Need To Decide Now

When you and your ex make the very difficult decision to split, there’s a lot more than just your emotions on the line. 

You need to have an idea of what the future is going to look like. If you’ve got kids, you need to come up with a new routine for them to get into. There’s also a lot of awkward money talks you need to have. 

And above all, you need to know what kind of timeline you’re both on, for whether or not the goal is to get divorced sometime down the line. 

As such, deciding to separate is only the first step. There are a lot of other decisions to be made now, and those are difficult to focus on when both your head and heart are all over the place.

So let’s go through the top 3 things you should focus on right now, to help you cut a little more clarity into the fogginess that’s moved into your personal life.

Living Arrangements

If you and your partner own a house together, you’re unlikely to still want to share it once you’ve decided to separate. As such, you need to think about who’s going to stay in your home, and who’s going to need to find somewhere else to live. 

This is never an easy decision, and it may also take some time for the person who’s moving out to actually find somewhere else to go. That’s why you want to get the ball rolling early on, so you both can get the space and peace you need as soon as possible. 

It’s also important to keep in mind right now that if only one person’s name is on the deed, that doesn’t mean the other person has no right to the house. 

Your Co-Parenting Arrangement

This is the trickiest thing to get right at this point in time. You don’t want your kids to be impacted by your separation. 

You’ll need to have a proper talk about what you and your ex want, and how you can both make sure this happens. Make sure you also talk about what happens in emergencies, or if plans suddenly change.

To Get a Lawyer Involved

You don’t have to, but it’s usually the best thing to do no matter what. In fact, it’s something that expert divorce lawyers Herlihy Family Law will recommend every single time. 

Because even if you and your partner seem to be working quite amicably on your family’s future right now, you can never be sure that civility will always stay the same. 

Get your ducks in a row ASAP. Both you and your partner have the right to legal counsel from the moment you separate, and that makes sure there’s a proper legal procedure underlining every action you take now that you’re no longer a couple. 

When you separate from your partner, the future is up in the air. Form a plan by focusing on the areas above.