Dating While Divorcing? 4 Things to Consider…

July 20, 2019

Going through a divorce can be very difficult, and it will have an impact on virtually every aspect of your life. One of the biggest changes will be that you are now free to date other people. While most experts (both legal and relationship experts) recommend people wait until a divorce is finalized before dating someone new, that advice is often quite hard to follow. This is especially true if your divorce is dragging out for months, or even years. If you feel you are ready to date before the divorce is finalized, make sure you take the following points into consideration. 

There Are No Laws Against It

The first thing to note is that there are no Florida laws that say someone going through a divorce can’t start dating again before it is finalized. This is a common misconception. The courts shouldn’t take your current dating life into account when making decisions about your case. Of course, a judge may not like what you are doing, and it is always better when a judge has a favorable opinion of you, so keep that in mind. We have also seen situations where the other side has made negative allegations of a new partner which can lead the court to have to potentially investigate these issues and waste your time and money.

Avoid Conflict with Your Ex

While you may feel like your relationship with your soon-to-be ex is over, that is not really the case. You still need to work together through the divorce process. If you start dating, it may cause additional drama and anger with the other party, which can negatively impact the divorce process. 

Consider Your Children

If you have children, this is going to be the most important factor to consider when deciding when it is appropriate to start dating again. If your children discover that you are dating without you telling them first, it can be very hurtful. If you do tell them ahead of time, it can add to the difficulties they are already going through due to the divorce, so be sure to keep lines of communication open. You may also want to consider involving a child therapist to assist you with the best way to manage this communication with your children.

Deal with Your Issues

People rarely emerge from a divorce without baggage that needs to be dealt with. This will include emotional suffering, financial challenges, and much more. Jumping right into a new relationship is an easy way to “hide” these issues from yourself and make it so you don’t address them in a healthy way. Whether you start dating before a divorce or you wait years, you will want to make sure you work through any challenges caused by your divorce as soon as possible so you are in a healthy place in life for all future relationships.