Valentine’s Day as a Divorcee

Valentine’s Day is a holiday associated with love and romance. However, when you are in the process of an ending your marriage or are newly divorced, February 14^th could be a dreadful day. In her article, How Not To Want To Curl Up In a Ball and Die On Valentine’s Day When You’re Divorcing, Magda Pecsenye explains, “The kicker about Valentine’s Day when you’re getting divorced is that not only do you feel alone today, but you’re also grieving for the relationship falling apart. And probably for previous years of sadness and loneliness on Valentine’s Days even when you were married.”

If you are feeling sadness about your impending divorce, it is important to recognize that you are not alone. Data compiled by Avvo.com, a site that offers ratings and profiles for lawyers, found that divorce filings skyrocket about 40 percent this time of year. “Over the past two years we’ve seen an average increase of 40 percent in the number of requests for divorce lawyers around Valentine’s Day, compared to the previous six months,” said Mark Britton, founder and CEO of Avvo. “Furthermore, the number of questions about divorce has soared 36 percent during that same time. Indeed, there’s definitely a major Valentine’s spike when it comes to divorce.”

In an article posted by The Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts entitled, What comes after Valentine’s Day? Divorce, of course!, Cathleen Belmonte Newman, a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst, explains why divorce is so common around Valentine’s Day. “Valentine’s Day may be for lovers, but the day after is all about divorce. Valentine’s Day is full of expectations – and when those expectations are not met on what is supposed to be the most romantic and loving day of the year, divorce quickly comes to mind.”

Divorce Lawyer Kelly Chang gives another reason for the high rate of divorce filing around February 14^th. “This can be attributed to two major groups of people: the ‘Delayed New Year’s Resoluters’ who are merely moving forward on their resolution to be single, just a month late, and the ‘Waiting to Exhalers,’ who, depending on the actions of their spouses on Valentine’s Day, will either reconcile or file for divorce.”

Are you considering filing for divorce or separation this Valentine’s Day? When a couple decides to dissolve their marriage, there are many aspects that need to be addressed including child custody and support, parenting time/visitation, spousal support and equitable distribution, to name a few. These are subjects that Jay D. Raxenberg, P.C. has gained a great deal of experience in over the last two decades in Supreme and Family Court. Mr. Raxenberg has extensive knowledge and experience in this area of the law and is dedicated to providing exceptional legal representation to all of his clients. Please call (516) 491-0565 or toll free at (888) 543-4867 to arrange for your initial complementary consultation.