Worthy Asks: Are You Waiting Until After The Holidays To Divorce?

By Sharri Freedman | Jan 15th, 2020

Did you know that January is known as “divorce month”? We even marked National Divorce day last week on Tuesday, January 8th. There are a number of reasons why this is the case and in December, we explored the question of waiting until after the holidays to divorce on our  Facebook Group. 

Yes to Waiting: Keep The Season Bright

For the women who responded “yes”, most were considering the damper it would put on their children during the holidays. These moms didn’t want to ruin the season or add any stress during this cheerful time. 

Others saw the decision to wait to divorce as a way to keep the peace for their entire families, children and soon-to-be-ex included. 

No To Waiting: No Time Like the Present

Of the women who chose not to wait, one wrote: 

“It’s hard no matter the time of year. It’s emotionally draining with young kids & adult children. I waited for years due to this fear and confusion. Then it seemed like there was always something- kids birthdays, holidays, Valentine’s Day, Easter company… Living a lie was exhausting- I finally chose to move forward in July and celebrate the 4th with friends and fireworks!”

And for some, the circumstances were simply out of their hands. One group member wrote that her court date had been pushed to February. She added that although she was very frustrated, she was “focusing [her] energy on [her] babies and others instead of [her] court case” to stay focused during the holidays.

Is January Really Divorce Month?

It depends on what you consider “divorce month”. According to a recent article in the New York Times, more people are interested in divorce in January. Law firms and internet search trends show that people are making inquiries about divorce in January but there is no rise in divorce filing. This indicates that January might be something closer to “thinking about divorce month”. Divorce filings, the moment when couples really start to split, is more common in March and August, periods of time after holidays (summer and winter) when couples may have begun to come to terms with their reality and are ready to move toward divorce.