A divorce is a fresh start for you. One thing that you might be ready to do is to leave the marital home so that you can truly start over. If you don’t have children, you might find that it is easy to just pick up and go. If you do have children, things get a bit more complicated. It is imperative that you think about the little ones, even if they are teens now, when you are planning your next steps after the divorce.
One huge consideration in these cases is where you are going to move. The first decision you have to think about is the location. Are you staying in the same city or do you want to leave the area? If you want to leave, things just got a bit more complex because you will likely need either the court’s approval or the go-ahead from your ex if you plan on the kids living with you in a new area.
Housing for your family
The home you are going to move into needs to have room for everyone. You need to think carefully about this because it will depend, in part, on how much time the kids will spend with you. If you will have them the majority of the time, you need to have ample space for them and all their belongings. If they will be with you for only a limited amount of time, you might be able to get away with a smaller space.
The home you find for your new life shouldn’t be such a financial strain that you spend more time stressing about how you will afford it than you do enjoying the home. You need a place where you can be comfortable and your children will be able to do the same.
Helping the kids adjust
The kids adjusting to the division of having two homes will take a bit. One thing that you can do is encourage them to have fun at both houses and to treat them both like their home. It might help if you give them some control over their space in your house. Maybe they can choose paint colors or other décor for their room.
You have to ensure that you don’t expect the children to settle into the new normal right away. Working with them as they make the adjustments will help them to feel more at ease. You and your ex might need to work together to make this happen, but you will find that they are able to thrive once they are accustomed to the new set up after the end of your marriage. Just be sure that you have a solid parenting plan to help keep everything in order with your ex.