5,310
edits
Changes
→Sex and new relationships after separation
====Can it be a ground of divorce?====
You cannot sue for divorce based on your own adultery. Now, if it's ''your spouse '' who has had sex with someone other than you following separation, you can use their adultery to get ask for a divorce order as long as you haven't already claimed a divorce for another reason like separation.
===New relationships===
New romantic relationships are treated in exactly the same way as new sexual relationships: the courts will not normally be concerned with a new relationship unless your new partner could is somehow be seen as a genuine risk to the children.
Entering into a new relationship will not usually have an impact on how the care of the children should be managed and the amount of or how much child support to should be paid, and it will never have an impact on whether spousal support should be paid or how your property and debt should be divided. The court does not look at this sort of conduct in determining these issues. Besides, most separated spouses find themselves in new relationships before they are legally divorced.
====What about the kids?====
As a general rule, people you should be a bit careful about exposing the children to new relationships. It can be very confusing for kids to deal with the idea of their parents separating and then have to cope with the idea of see a parent being involved with some stranger who appears to be stepping into the shoes of the other parent.
You should take a lot of care in deciding how and when the children are introduced to your new relationships. In general, older children are more likely to understand the new relationship; relationships, while younger children are more apt to be confused by the new relationship, especially when the new person tries to "parent" the children themselves. Whether we like it or not, society teaches children a very Norman Rockwell/Hallmark Cards stereotypical view of family life: there are two parents, those parents love each other very much, and those parents are supposed to be together always. You should ask any new partner to be sensitive to these issues and to avoid presenting themselves to the children as an alternate parent.
====What if there are a lot of "new" relationships?====
Sometimes a newly separated spouse feels the need to go out and explore their options, so to speak, and engages will engage in a series of short-term relationships. This will be very difficult for children of all ages to deal with, if they're aware it's going on. It's one thing to have your parents' relationship break up, which is difficult enough to deal withmanage, but it's something else entirely to then be introduced to a parade of new people that a parent appears to be romantically involved with . This can be enormously confusing, and potentially lead to resentment and an alignment can encourage the children to align with the other parent.
In general, you shouldn't introduce your children to a new partner unless you are sure of the new relationship and expect to be in it for a good long while. If you're not sure about the longevity of the new relationship, be safe rather than sorry and don't introduce your children to your new partner until you're positive that the new relationship will last.
If you are 're on the other parentside of the table and are worried about your ex's dating habits, you may want to ask for an order or an agreement requiring the parent your ex to be involved in the any new relationship to be in that relationship for a certain amount minimum period of time — — say five or six months at a minimum — — before they introduce the children to the new person. That being said, while it is entirely reasonable to be concerned about the impact of the new relationship on the children, some caution is suggestedwarranted. Before you interfere with things, make sure that your concerns about the children are well-founded and are based on their interests rather than on your own emotional reaction to your ex's new relationship.
===Becoming an unmarried spouse===
Someone who is separated but still married can become a someone's spouse in an unmarried relationship. Not everyone is in a rush to get a divorce divorced once a marriage breaks down, and some people don't get around to getting a divorce until many years have passed since they separatedafter separation.
If you are separated from your ''married spouse'', you are still married and will continue to be married to that person until you get a divorcedivorced. If you start a new romantic relationship while separated from your ''married spouse'', this your new partner can become your ''unmarried spouse'' if:
If you find that you're married and also but in a new relationship that qualifies as a spousal relationship:
These obligations are , of course, in addition to whatever obligations you have to your married spouse and any children from your marriage. <!---HIDDEN ==Further Reading in this Chapter== * <span style="color: red;">bulleted list of other pages in this chapter, linked</span>END HIDDEN--->
==Resources and links==