Children are about to head back to school, and parents know that life is going to change. The kids have been at home all summer, and life may have been very busy with trips and other activities. But they’re going to revert to the classroom, and parents will have more time to themselves.
For this reason, a lot of parents who have been considering divorce over the summer will decide to file in the fall. There is a general spike in divorce filings at this time every year – especially in August – and one of the major reasons for it is simply that the parents were waiting until the school year began to move forward with the divorce.
What are the reasons to wait?
The reasons to wait are many, starting with the fact that summer can simply be chaotic. If you have trips planned and a lot of other activities, there may not be a good time to start talking about divorce. Some people put it off so that they can get through all of this activity – with the kids – and get divorced when life has settled down a little bit.
Additionally, some parents don’t want to discuss the divorce with their children around. Waiting until they’re back in school gives the parents more time to talk as adults about the subjects that may be a bit too advanced for their children. They can then involve the children once they know the divorce is definitely going to happen.
Finally, many parents are conscious of the upcoming fall and winter holidays. They want to get divorced at the beginning of the school year so that the process is over by the holidays. Those who wait until later in the fall may find themselves facing Thanksgiving and Christmas, and divorce rates tend to drop because parents don’t want to do it during the holidays. The rates will then spike again in January, once the holidays are over.
Are you getting divorced?
If you and your spouse are going to be splitting up this year, be sure you know what legal options you have. This is especially important when you have young children and you need to make decisions about custody time, child support and the like.
