The reasons for divorce are varied: incompatibility, domestic abuse, or financial disagreements, to name a few. Yet, there are other couples who decide to part ways because of infidelity or simply because they’ve started to develop feelings for someone else.
While you’re going through a divorce, it’s normal to feel stressed, unhappy, and unloved. What better way to boost your self-esteem than by being with someone new who loves you, right? But is it really the right time to start a new relationship? Can you do so while still finalizing your divorce? As it turns out, that may not be the best option – you might have to deal with emotional and legal complications from jumping into a new relationship while in the process of legally ending your marriage.
Dating Someone New Can Make Your Divorce Messy
If you start dating while in the middle of a divorce, you might give your Colorado Springs divorce attorney more problems than necessary.
It doesn’t matter if your soon-to-be ex-spouse cheated on you while you were married or that you don’t have feelings for each other anymore. If you start dating someone new, your ex might feel betrayed, which in turn may make them bitter. As a result, they’ll be much harder to deal with and your divorce case may be far more difficult to settle amicably.
Dating During Divorce Can Affect the Amount of Alimony You’ll Receive
The law states that you’re legally married until a judge officially declares that you’re divorced. If you’re in a sexual relationship with someone else before you’re divorced, you may technically be committing adultery.
Though Colorado isn’t one of them, if you live in a state that recognizes fault in divorce, your adultery may have a sizable impact on the alimony you receive. You may either receive less than what you were supposed to or you may not receive any at all.
Dating Before You’re Officially Divorced Impacts Your Parenting Arrangement
If you have kids with your ex-spouse and you are trying to come to an agreement regarding the parenting plan, the existence of another person you’re dating can complicate things. Depending on the reason for your divorce, your ex-spouse may feel like they’ve already been replaced by the person you’re currently dating. That feeling may intensify if they feel that someone else is spending time with your kids.
What’s more, your ex-spouse may worry about who comes into contact with your children. If this happens, they may contest your legal parental rights and you may end up losing custody of your children.
Dating While Going Through a Divorce Can Negatively Affect Your Kids
The process of divorce is stressful and time-consuming for everyone – including your kids, if you have any. Kids need their parents’ support during a divorce. It’s not just your life that’s being upended. Your kids are also dealing with their own emotions and processing the daunting idea of a new kind of family setting.
If you have a full-time job on top of dealing with divorce and getting involved with someone new, your time with your kids might be waylaid. What’s more, nurturing a new relationship when you’re still healing from another takes a lot of time and effort if you want it to succeed. That means that a chunk of vital one-on-one time may be taken away from your kids. So, the best way is to adjust your own priorities to give your kids the emotional support they need at the time.
It’s understandable that you might want to start a new romance after a failed marriage. But, what’s even more important is that you take time for yourself – to heal, to introspect, to sort things out – before you allow romance to sweep you off your feet once again.
