The beginning of marital life is usually a much happier moment than its ending: you are young and in love with your partner, ready to spend years with you. But over time relationships change and the majority of couples decide to split, and some even do it officially. If you are one of those who is looking for a way to end your marriage in Washington state, check this post. Here, we gathered the most popular divorce mistakes to avoid and decrease the level of anxiety and stress during this time.
Not understanding which property is individual
The first mistake you can make while preparing for marriage dissolution and throughout the process is failing to understand what property, real estate, cars, etc. is your own and which one belongs to your couple. Missing this point may end up in losing what was yours right from the start and getting less from the property that has to be divided as a result of your splitting with your partner.
There are two things you can do to avoid such common divorce mistakes: first, you need to put your documents on property rights into order before starting the legal divorce procedure, and second, it is worth hiring a skilled attorney if your property issue is complex.
Urging your children to speak against your spouse
The next mistake locals make even when they prepare for simple WA state online divorce is involving kids in the altercations between parents. Moreover, encouraging your kids to demonstrate hatred or hostile relation to the other parent may cost damage to their mental health and emotional stability.
Divorce itself is not the best thing your kid can go through despite their age, so you shouldn’t add even more burden to them by involving them into the court hearings and public fighting with their other parent.
Hiding assets or important information
The inability to be honest during the divorce procedure including court hearings will worsen your situation and chances of a happy outcome drastically. Since Washington state laws on marriage dissolution imply that the couple’s assets are common, they should be divided equally in case partners split. Therefore, lying in the court or hiding the assets that belong to your husband or wife as well will lead to an improper decision that a judge will make regarding your property division.
To avoid such a perspective, collect and copy all the documents regarding your family life and store them in a safe place so that your partner couldn’t hide any of them or manipulate the information for their benefit.
Hoping that the uncomfortable issues will resolve by themselves
Since marriage dissolution is the process where equal partners break up, both of them are active participants in the case. So kids, finances, property, and other divorce issues to consider should not be left aside with the hope the judge or someone else will take care of them.
Regardless of your role in the marriage dissolution, as an initiator or a respondent, you cannot stay passive and wait for the things to be put in order on their own. Here is what you should do to take an active role in divorce procedure:
- start a calendar. This is to stay on track of the whole case and have a life besides it. Having an app planner or a notebook to write down your daily tasks will help you to get through your divorce easier and decrease the anxiety if you are prone to it;
- educate yourself. Learn the law of the state regarding marriage dissolution and read the latest news to stay informed about the potential changes in your divorce process. Don’t hesitate to ask questions: the court officials will help you to file your papers properly;
- ask for professional help. Find out what kind of legal advice you can qualify for and ask for it. If you have enough money, you can even hire a private attorney to handle your case;
- take control of your finances. This is especially important if you are going to be a major breadwinner for your kids after marriage termination. Therefore, keep track of your bank account balances and don’t use your credit card without purpose;
- don’t be afraid of your partner. Are you dealing with an abuser? There are a lot of legal ways to forbid them to come to your house and communicate with your kids. Be sure to revert to them if you are afraid for your life or the health of your kids.
Trying to rush the procedure
The last thing you shouldn’t do is try to finish your marriage as soon as possible at all costs. To put it shortly, you will not manage to do that: divorces that are finalized to comfort both exes take time since they take a lot of negotiation and the ability to talk openly about the uncomfortable issues. Therefore, trying to rush things will only jeopardize your chances of getting your time with your kids, potential spousal support, or other benefits you expect to have as a divorcee.
What you need to do to reach the agreement with your partner and finalize your divorce quickly is follow the court orders strictly, accept your attorney’s point of view, and stick to their recommendations. Also, you have to be open to dialogue with your wife or husband so that neither of you will be left neglected as a result of the process. Finally, if you want to conduct a quick uncontested divorce in Washington, you have no other option but to settle all the issues on paper before coming to court. Thus, leave behind your doubts, offenses, and desire to take revenge, and do what needs to be done: stay positive, stand your ground, and be ready to discuss issues to find a common language with your soon-to-be ex.
