Navigating a divorce is often a stressful and emotional experience for most couples, especially when you’re still living together. Whether you and your partner are cohabiting during your divorce due to sharing children or not having an alternative living situation available, sharing a home whilst going through a divorce can be tricky to navigate and may increase tensions.
Here are some tips you can follow to make the process more manageable.
Prioritise Your Children
If you and your partner share your home with your children, then it’s important that you do your best to prioritise your children and put them first. Navigating a divorce is hard enough as it is, but it often becomes even harder when children are involved.
It can be hard for kids to fully understand the situation and process their own feelings in regards to it, so it’s important that you never argue in front of them and to check in on their feelings. Furthermore, you shouldn’t compete with your partner to be the ‘favourite parent’; instead, you should focus on ensuring that your children have as healthy a relationship as possible with both parents.
Allocate Responsibilities
Naturally, you will each have your own responsibilities within the home when living together, however these may change when you split up. In order to avoid disputes and keep a space that you’re both comfortable living in, it’s best to have a discussion and write down which domestic responsibilities you expect to divide between one other.
For example, each individual may handle their own washing and be responsible for the state of their personal space within the home (e.g. separate bedrooms), whilst an agreement can be made on how to respect communal spaces (e.g. each person washes their own dishes after cooking etc.).
Establish Boundaries
Similar to allocating responsibilities, it’s also important to establish boundaries. This could manifest in various ways personal to your situation, for example you may schedule times each individual may use communal spaces in order to reduce contact, determine when and whether guests are allowed over or establish who pays for what in a way that is fair.
Ultimately, establishing boundaries in this way helps to minimise chances of conflict, whilst also allowing you to both to protect your mental health and emotional boundaries during such a tough time.
Respect Personal Spaces
Once you have established boundaries and allocated personal spaces, then it’s imperative that you respect these. You should communicate your personal space and time needs to one another, especially if caring for children is involved, so that conflicts are avoided and you each have your own breathing space.
As well as having your own sleeping and relaxing spaces within the home, remember to also have regular time outside the home to allow one another an opportunity to enjoy your personal time.
Your Local Solicitors Firm
Found yourself searching ‘divorce solicitors near me’? Here at Richards & Lewis, our divorce lawyers can help you navigate your separation.
Whether you’re simply looking for a divorce lawyer or would benefit from family law mediation, our professionals can help from.
Based in South Wales, our experienced solicitors are professional and empathetic, so you can count on us to support you. Get in touch with us today to discuss how we can help.
