Once you’re sure you want to ask your spouse for a divorce, it’s time to turn your attention to the process for doing so. This isn’t something you spit out one day with the hope that everything falls into place. Divorce is much more serious than that, so you should treat it as such.
Here are the types of questions you need to answer as you prepare to ask for a divorce:
- How will your spouse react? There is no way of knowing for sure, so prepare for everything. You need to know what to do if your spouse becomes angry and violent. You need to know what to do if he or she seems indifferent.
- Where will you have the conversation? Again, asking for a divorce is a big deal, so you don’t want to have this conversation in the wrong setting. In addition to a private location, you don’t want other people getting in the way. However, if you feel that your safety could be at risk, you may have no choice but to ask for a divorce over the phone. Your safety should always come first.
- What will you do if your spouse attempts to talk you out of it? This is a difficult question, as you have several options. If you’re sure that divorce is the best way to proceed, you need to stick to your guns. However, if you’re open to working things out, you may soften your stance.
- When will you discuss the details of the divorce? You don’t have to do this shortly after asking for a divorce. It’s better to discuss matters of child support, custody and property division (among other details) later in the process.
- Whom can you turn to for help? Once you have this conversation, you may feel lonely. You may also wonder if you made the right decision. It’s a good idea to have a support system in place.
You can only prepare so much for this difficult conversation. Even if you think you have a good plan in place, you could run into trouble at some point.
Once you ask for a divorce, you can then move on to filing the necessary paperwork and taking steps to protect your legal rights now and in the future.