Three Things to Never Do During a Divorce

Divorce is hard. Divorce is full of raw emotions that often cause people to say and do things that they otherwise would not. It is important to keep those emotions at bay and not say or do anything you will regret later or that can be used against you when it comes to your divorce and if you have children, things that can affect custody and visitation outcomes.

1. Do not engage in public displays of anything, particularly those that can paint a picture of you being an irresponsible adult or an unfit parent. The term ‘public displays’ most certainly includes social media posts. You also should be aware of the people that you are around and what they post both personally and about you. What is an innocent night out; can turn into something very ugly in divorce cases. Your conduct has to be on point. I get it, divorce is very stressful and sometimes you just need some “me time.” I one-hundred-percent agree that you need some downtime to not think about your current situation, but that “me time” does not need to include anything that could be misconstrued on any level. It is best to stick with self-care things like getting a massage, working out, joining a running group, taking up a new hobby, you get the idea.
2. This one goes hand in hand with rule one, but don’t make things worse by doing things that can harm your case. Some examples I can think of off the top of my head are drunk and disorderly conduct whether it leads to an arrest or not, it’s just not a good look…just don’t. Don’t take your soon to be ex’s credit card and go on a spending frenzy. While this may seem like not that big of a deal because, technically, you are still married, it can be seen as irresponsible and, depending on what you purchased with the card, it could be used against you in court. Remember, even some of the most seemingly innocent things have been used against good people in court. Don’t give your ex’s attorney anything that he or she could potentially use against you.
3. Don’t do anything you will regret later. Never, ever take your emotions out on your children, family members or friends. You especially do not want to put your kids in the middle by saying negative things about their mom or dad. Your kids already have enough on their plate dealing with the divorce; they do not need the added stress. Don’t self-medicate with drugs and alcohol. Besides the possibility of becoming substance dependent, you do not want to get into the habit of coping with substances such as illegal drugs or alcohol. Do not ever talk about your spouse on social media and do not engage in any sort of fighting with your spouse, family members or friends on social media. These types of behaviors can have severe consequences on a divorce outcome and child custody decisions.

As you can see, all three of these don’ts have an overall theme of keeping your feelings and behavior in check. Divorces get ugly and there is no reason to give the other side anything to aid in their case. When you choose Kevin Hickey Law Partners, you will get not only an attorney who knows how to handle a multitude of divorce and child custody cases, but also an attorney who cares for you and what is best for you and your family. Give us a call today if you are going through a divorce, thinking of divorce or need child custody, visitation or support assistance.