The Law Offices of Jay S. Jump, PLLC
PO Box 1028
201 Morgan Street
Davenport, WA 99122
(509) 725-1130
Copyright 2010. All Rights Reserved. Law Offices of Jay S. Jump, PLLC. The Jump Law Group. Law Offices in Kent and Davenport, Washington.
Life after Divorce
Yes, there is life after a divorce. It may take some time and it may seem scary, but life does not stop at the end of your marriage and you will keep on going.
If you have children, they will be your primary concern. For them, through no fault of their own, their lives just changed significantly.
Children don't have much control in their lives and that works out OK as long as the parents keep their lives stable and consistent. It is important for them to be have a stability through the entire process and after the divorce.
You also have to remember that while you may have fallen out of love with your previous spouse, that probably doesn't hold true for your children. Don't let that difference get in the way of your relationship or their relationship with the ex spouse.
You can't change anyone else in your life except yourself. The only thing you can change is how you relate to other people.
Much of life after a divorce isn't about legal advice. The dissolution program we use simply terminates your marriage with an agreed upon proceeding by you and your spouse. Once it is over, it is legally over.
Legally speaking, there may be some things you might need to do in the future.
(1) You may need to petition the Court for a change in child support status. If your financial situation changes or your child is about to graduate or turn 18, they might need post secondary support. You will need to return to Court to execute a new order.
(2) You may need to execute or modify a "Qualified Domestic Relations Order". This is commonly referred to as a "QDRO" (pronounced "kwadrow"). A QDRO is a document signed by the court that dictates how a retirement fund or pension is going to be administered between ex husband and wife. QDRO's are usually company specific. You should have made accomodations for the QDRO settlement in your original decree. While it is beneficial to have the QDRO settlement in place with the final decree, it is not always necessary. Most QDRO documents are held by the employer or the fund administrator and they can take some time to obtain.
