More Couples Will Decide to Divorce on January 7 Than All of 2013

What’s your New Year’s resolution?

Whether it’s giving up wine or chocolate, getting fit, changing jobs, or travelling more, many people made their pledges as the famous New Year’s Eve Ball descended from the flagpole atop Times Square at midnight on the 31st of December. And many of those pledges had to do with couples choosing to decide to divorce in 2013.

January is the Time Couples Decide to Divorce

After years of being in the divorce business, I know full well that January is the most common month of the year for couples to file their divorce papers. This is based on how busy my office gets that time every year. In fact, one can even pinpoint the exact day. We call it “D” day, and it is the first Monday after school reopens and the beginning of the first full work week after the long holiday break. In 2013 that date is Monday, January 7^th.

The mounting pressures of high unemployment rates, crumbling real estate prices, the high cost and expectation of Christmas, and trying to stick it out as a family for the sake of the kids are often too much for a couple to bear. These stressors can take your health, and they certainly can destroy your relationship with your spouse.

But it doesn’t happen overnight. “D” day is the culmination of a long, painful process of thinking, evaluating and deciding. The idea has probably been simmering for most of 2012. Many individuals delayed the inevitable for a number of reasons - sometimes it’s simply a worry about the cost; some individuals are not 100% sure they can follow through with it; and many are concerned that a divorce when house prices are falling means they’ll lose too much and they won’t have anything to start over with.

Children Play a Major Role in When to Decide to Divorce

Of course, a major factor for many couples is their children. Prior to the holiday season this year, a surprisingly high number of couples sadly shared with us that 2012 would be their last family Christmas together before dad and mom split up. We have a handful of couples who even made pre-Christmas appointments to visit our office in January to discuss their divorces.

Ultimately, the children wind up being the most important part of the divorce. Caring for their needs and softening the blow is crucial when it comes time to decide to divorce.

There is no easy way to do it. However, taking their feelings into account can at least soften the blow. Better than dropping the news on them during the holidays.

Next steps

So, if you are one of the couples beginning the divorce journey this January, we understand that it was not an overnight decision. In fact, it’s been a long, painful one. But remember that it is just a transition, not a way of life. You will get through it, and you will once again find happiness.

Is this the year you make a different kind of resolution, a divorce resolution? If you live in Canada, give us a call. The first meeting is on us, and we’ll explain how you can both win.