Asking for a divorce? Follow these tips

You’ve thought about it long and hard, weighing the pros and cons to ensure that you make the right decision. In the end, you come to the conclusion that you want to ask your spouse for a divorce.

Now, it’s time to share your feelings with your spouse. This is the first step in the divorce process.

It’s a challenging conversation for both individuals, but one that you need to have if you want to proceed. Here are some tips to follow when asking for a divorce:

• Prepare in advance: There’s no way of knowing what will happen when you break the news to your spouse, but that shouldn’t stop you from preparing. Do your best to prepare for every possible outcome, as this will provide you guidance no matter what happens.
• Don’t let your emotions get the best of you: It doesn’t matter if you’re angry, sad, disappointed or even happy, keep your emotions in check while you’re discussing divorce. Stick to the facts and move through the conversation as efficiently as possible.
• Stick with the basics: After you get your feelings into the open, it’s likely that the conversation will drift toward the future. This could soon have you talking about things such as child custody, child support, alimony and property and debt division. While all of these things are important, now’s not the time to discuss them. Doing so is likely to cause more tension between the two of you.
• Discuss how to tell your children: If you have children together, talk to your spouse about how you can best break the news to them. This is another challenge, as you never know how your children will react. The best you can do is get on the same page with your spouse and do your part in putting your children’s minds at ease.

It’s a big decision, but if you want to ask your spouse for a divorce there’s no point in putting it off any longer. You’ve thought things through and you’re prepared for the conversation. Now, all you have to do is share your feelings. From there, you can turn your attention to the divorce process and how to best protect your legal rights.