There are few guarantees in life, but one thing that we can say for certain is that divorces tend to bring out the worst in people. If you want a really ugly, nasty divorce, it won’t take much to get the fireworks started.
Here are the things that will likely start a real battle with your spouse:
- Emptying the bank account. If you’re like most couples, you and your spouse have at least one joint bank account. Whether you normally just pay for household bills out of it or you keep all of your money there, making changes to the account (like ending your deposits or withdrawing all the cash) without letting your spouse know in advance could give your spouse an unpleasant surprise the next time they try to pay for something.
- Asking for sole custody of the children. Maybe you really do think you’re the better parent, but does that mean that your spouse shouldn’t have time with the kids or a say in how they are raised? Unless your spouse is very disinterested in the kids, this is likely to start a real war.
- Wasting time with frivolous motions. You can file a petition over just about anything that has to be settled — and it’s bound to get on your spouse’s nerves. It can also get terribly expensive. Your spouse probably expects you to at least try to negotiate directly (or through your attorney) before heading to a judge.
No matter how furious you are at your spouse for their failings, you probably hope to get out of your marriage with a minimum of stress. There’s enough ugliness out there in the world already, so why add to it, right? Talk to an experienced attorney about your options for ending your marriage as peacefully as possible.
