Should the house be kept for the sake of the children?

Some parents in a Collaborative Divorce worry their children face too many changes at once. They may feel guilty about the children needing to go through a divorce. One or both parents may think, “At least, we can keep the house so they don’t have to lose that too.”

This plan may work. If not affordable long-term, a parent may be able to keep the house for a few years, perhaps until the end of a school phase or graduation.

If keeping the house is unmanageable financially, even in the short term, it may be helpful to know that children can usually make a good adjustment to two new homes, even if this is not their preference. Most important is to maintain relationships, school connections, and their usual activities.

If struggling with this reality, parents may do well to remember that in a shared residency, the children would only stay a portion of time in the original home anyway.