Those blindsided by an unwanted divorce often have problems accepting their situation realistically. They may cling to the hope that something will stop the divorce or that their spouse will have a change of heart.
Occasionally, couples may change their minds about getting divorced, but it may be unwise to pin all your hopes on this possibility. To illustrate the risks you may face, below are three ways not accepting your divorce could hurt your current and future circumstances.
You may not be protecting your interests
When all you can think about is stopping the divorce, you are probably not looking after your property interests and other rights. If you cannot prevent the divorce from happening, you could end up with a poor property settlement or unfair access to your children.
You may not be helping your kids cope
Many children struggle to deal with the upheaval and emotional worries they may experience when their parents get a divorce. If you are too focused on your own grief or constantly looking for ways to reconcile, you may overlook signs that your kids need help coping with the situation.
You may be encouraging post-divorce hardships
Letting go of a relationship you want to hold on to is hard. However, the emotions you feel now could increase later if you ultimately cannot stop the divorce. Working to accept your current situation may reduce your post-divorce emotional and other hardships, and it can encourage healing.
Adopting a realistic approach to the possibility (or probability) of a divorce could help protect your and your children’s best interests, even if you still hope to reconcile. An ideal first step is learning about the legal side of divorce under Massachusetts laws.