Though there aren’t official statistics evidencing the trend, family lawyers across the country report a bump in divorce filings each year when the kids finally head back to school after summer vacation.
There is no single definite cause as to why end-of-summer could be a prime time for divorce, but there are several possibilities as to an uptick in filings then.
Possible back-to-school divorce filing reasons include:
- “Holidays from Hell” – if you have had a disastrous, expensive, stressful vacation with your spouse, during which you constantly argued or he/she didn’t help at all with your children, that could end up being the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. It might be that you have consciously or subconsciously considering divorce for a while, but your decision to end the marriage was strengthened by the thought of another trip like the one you just suffered through.
- Giving the kids one last good summer – summer is supposed to be a time of rest, relaxation, fun and sun for children. A divorce would certainly put a damper on that, so some parents could purposely delay filing until the kids are back in school in order to give them the opportunity to make good family memories before big changes happen.
- Attempting to limit the long-term impact on the children – a divorce could take months, possibly even a year or more, to complete. By getting started now, there is a chance that things could be wrapped up by the time the kids get out of school next year. This time frame would give the children the chance to start fresh on their new life with a whole summer ahead of them to get acclimated.
If you’ve made the decision to divorce now that the kids are headed back to school, don’t go it alone. Divorce can be a messy, complicated process, even if it is relatively uncontested. You should have an experienced family law attorney at your side throughout to ensure that your rights and interests – and those of your children – are protected.