When it comes to divorce, there are various factors to consider. Sometimes, people have very difficult divorces, while others are able to end their marriage on relatively good terms. In fact, some people even remain friends with their ex for years after the marriage is brought to an end.
If you are thinking about whether you and your spouse have the ability to stay friends, it is important to assess your divorce from an individualized point of view.
The benefits of friendship
There are many reasons why remaining friends with your ex is helpful if this is a possibility. If you have kids, you and your ex likely have the ability to make life much easier for your children. Although you will not live together and do everything as a family, your kids will likely have an easier time processing the changes and feeling a sense of normalcy when they see their parents on good terms.
From a financial perspective, friendships help ease tension and reduce the likelihood of problems (especially when it comes to alimony and child support). For example, if you have to pay child support, your ex is more likely to understand your circumstances if you have to miss payments for one reason or another. Likewise, your ex is probably less likely to fall behind on child support if they are still friends with you. From an emotional perspective, staying friends also helps many people come to terms with their marriage ending and reduces negative feelings such as depression.
Moving on
When some marriages end, those involved struggle with bitterness, emotional disputes and financial consequences that permanently shatter any sense of friendship with one’s former spouse. It is important to realize when friendship is not possible and because divorce impacts each spouse differently, feelings are not always mutual. Our website covers a myriad of topics related to the divorce process.