When your spouse files for divorce or you decide to file, you will probably retain a lawyer early in the process. Your lawyer will be there during negotiations with your ex and all court proceedings to help you avoid making mistakes in a legal environment that could hurt your case.
However, court isn’t the only place where you can make mistakes that could negatively affect what happens in your divorce. There are plenty of social mistakes that could come back to haunt you during your divorce proceedings.
Trying to get your children on your side in the divorce
Your children are probably among the most important people in the world to you, and you want them to understand how do you hurt, not to judge because you filed for divorce.
While you might want to tell your kids about all the mistreatment or infidelity you experienced, those conversations are better to save for when they reach adulthood. If you talk poorly about your ex frequently, that could give your ex ammunition to claim parental alienation and possibly limit the parenting time or access you receive in the divorce.
Blowing off steam on social media
You found out that your spouse had an affair or they served with paperwork in a particularly cruel manner after years of divorce. It’s natural for you to want to call them out for that cruel treatment of you online.
Sadly, social media is not your friend during a divorce. Anything you say that disparages your ex could come back to haunt you during court proceedings if your ex has access to that content either on their own or through someone you know who shares it with them.
Letting your ex goad you into an argument someplace with an audience
People can become manipulative during divorce if they want to make their ex look abusive or dangerous. Your ex might try to start a fight with you outside of your place of employment or at a social event where your children and other parents are present. The things you say in anger could lead to other people testifying against you in court. Your ex might even record the interaction and try to use it as proof that you threatened or intimidated them.
Understanding that what you say in social settings could have an effect on your legal case can help you make better decisions about your behavior during your divorce.
