There is nothing to stop you from going on a date or two during the divorce process. You should consider how it can affect you and your family before embarking on any new relationships though. Dating during a divorce can complicate matters, and sometimes it can even mean that your divorce takes longer to finalize. Every case is different though, so our Dallas County divorce lawyers are prepared to advise you on your particular situation.
Will It Look Bad If I Date During the Divorce Process?
You’re an adult and your relationship is over if you are going through a divorce. You should be able to pursue other romantic opportunities, but life is not always that simple. Dating during your divorce can look bad, even though that doesn’t really seem fair.
If you and your spouse are not getting along well during this process, dating can just make things even worse. Your spouse and their attorney might be trying to use anything that they can against you, and you dating someone else could be just the kind of thing that they think they can leverage to get a more favorable outcome.
What Should I Be Careful About If I Date During My Divorce?
Even if you and your spouse are getting along, or at least behaving as civilly as a divorcing couple can, you should still be careful about how you treat any new relationship that blossoms while you are in the middle of this process. Things you might want to avoid include:
- Introducing a new partner to your children too quickly
- Moving in with a new partner right away
- Spending too much money on your new partner
- Getting pregnant or getting someone else pregnant
- Displaying the new relationship on social media
- Sharing private information from your divorce case
- Giving marital property to a new partner
Any mistakes like these can prolong your divorce case or make it more difficult to reach agreements on important matters like child custody and property division.
Should I Let My Spouse Know I’m Dating?
If you and your spouse are on good terms, it can be a good idea to let them know that you have begun to date someone else. This is a good opportunity to make an agreement about how this kind of thing will be handled as your divorce processes. You can also make rules about introducing new partners to the kids and how you deal with that. This can be a useful opportunity and a chance to begin a healthy co-parenting relationship with your soon-to-be ex.
Talk to Our Legal Team
If you want to learn more about the potential pitfalls that you can face if you date during the divorce process, contact Iowa Defenders, PLLC. We can help you protect yourself and fight for a fair divorce agreement.
