People often think of divorce as a battle. You’re on one side, your ex is on the other, and you’re fighting over parenting time, expensive assets and much more.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. Cooperating and working together often yields better results. Don’t assume that you and your ex have to have this one-on-one mindset. You can instead look at this as a process where you both work toward the same general goals.
Focusing on the children
Many parents do this by focusing on the children and thinking about how the divorce will impact them. When the two of you, as adults, decide that your goal is to make things go smoothly for your kids, it’s often easier to work together. You know that you both want the same thing.
Other shared goals
Even if you do not have children, you can find other shared goals. Perhaps you want to make the process go quickly so that you can move on with your life. Perhaps you want to keep the costs down. These things benefit both of you. A long divorce with a lot of fighting and arguing will take longer and be more expensive. If you recognize this from the beginning and agree that you want to avoid such an outcome, you can make decisions that move you toward your real goals.
Getting the process started
Does this sound like the kind of amicable divorce you would like to have? If so, it’s time to consider how to get the process started and what steps you will need to take.