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Divorce/separation

Here you'll find divorce help and support from other Mners. For legal advice, you may find Advice Now guides useful.

Has the pandemic been the catalyst for a separation for anyone else?

46 replies

Fantasisa · 16/07/2020 21:52

And where on earth do we begin? DH and I have been rocky for years but it has all come to a head in the past few months. He now hasn't spoken directly to me for a week - only through the children. I want to split and I don't know how to begin. We lived in a mortgaged house together, we both earn pretty much the same but I doubt either of us could afford to buy the other person out and house prices where we live are sky high. We have no family/friends to share with/lend us money etc.

Also, DH is facing possible redundancy in the next few months and I feel so trapped and unhappy. Anyone else in a similar boat? How do we begin? I haven't even broached the subject with him yet but it feels like we are both waiting for the other person to say the words.

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Fantasisa · 20/07/2020 13:59

I don't expect to keep the house, I would be happy to try (and presumably fail) to buy him out, to sell and split the equity or for him to buy me out (which he also can't afford to do). The problem we have is that we are in an expensive area and buying the house with two incomes was hard enough so buying anything at all for me and the DC is likely to be impossible. The irony is that the rent locally would be the same as the mortgage! Although that is what I would have to do.

We both earn a very similar amount which makes life easy in that respect and I would expect us to have 50/50.

I feel constantly close to tears at the moment and that isn't like me. I just want some peace.

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MyVisionsComeFromSoup · 20/07/2020 14:21

This is us, although our problems have been bubbling away for far too many years. H decided we needed counselling, after two sessions I had realised that we needed to not live together, and I move out next week, which sounds very sudden, but I think I'd been thinking about it subconsciously, as the decisions just made themselves.

Sadly H is a quite bemused as to what's happening (I think he thought that we'd go to counselling, he'd say "it makes me unhappy when you do x, x and x, and I'd rather you did y, y, and y instead", and I'd go "Oh ok, then" and it would all be resolved. And as RL isn't how stuff in his head is, that was never going to happen, as in order to get beyond the "x, x and x" we'd need to go through a lot of years of stuff, and his starting point was that we weren't going to discuss the past, we could only talk about how to move forward, although he now says he didn't actually mean that. Anyway....)

I was actually coming to a personal crunch point in any case (youngest DC off to uni this year, ending very many years of being the primary carer, so needed to decide what my life was going to look like), complicated by working for H (and needing to stay working for him due to other non-relevant reasons), and really disliking where we live and work. Would much rather have got DC off to uni, then starting discussing things, but there's always been a work-related "I'm too busy" reason to avoid starting the discussion, so here we are.

I'm weirdly happy about it, all the inlaws think I'm running away from my "responsibilities", H doesn't seem to think I can cope on my own, and I'm just excited about the future. Youngest DC is coming with me, so H will be here on his own, trying to figure out how the washing machine works (we moved into rented a couple of years ago, and he's been very reluctant to even try and pretend this was home, rather than somewhere he slept and had his dinner cooked for him and his socks washed etc).

Fantasisa · 20/07/2020 14:46

Hello @MyVisionsComeFromSoup

You sound so well organised with this that I feel jealous! It has obviously been a long time coming. It is very common to split once the children leave the nest, I guess you are just slightly ahead of the curve. I've just had a very positive chat with a lovely woman at our local housing society who said I can apply for Shared Equity properties as long as that at the point of sale I am not on the deeds of another property. So that is reassuring. One of the village mum's asked me how I was this morning, just in conversation not because she knows anything, and I nearly cried so I am realising that I can't continue like this.

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Fantasisa · 20/07/2020 14:47

PS. @MyVisionsComeFromSoup good luck with your move! Keep us posted.

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KaylieM · 01/08/2020 12:13

Hi all I need advice on seperation/ divorce..Does anyone know of a good family solicitor in Richmond or Kew? What sort of financial support is available from the government for the main carer? and do they only offer such support for a parent who is legally divorced rather than separated? Just worried that I might struggle financially and want to plan before I start the process. PLS help!

loungewearisthewaytogo · 01/08/2020 14:50

I told my husband I wanted to separate early in the new year and then lockdown happened 😕 roll forward 7 months and we're still in the same house, and it hasn't been amicable at all 😫

BBsMummy2020 · 07/08/2020 00:48

Hello.. I have just read you story and it is very similar to mine. I just wondering if you have any advice? I could do with some help x

BBsMummy2020 · 07/08/2020 00:57

Hello Everyone.
I’m not sure if I am doing this right but I would like some advice. I am very unhappy. I want to leave my husband or more so asked him for a trail separation but I am so worried for my children I making myself ill with worry.
I have tried for the children to make my marriage work but I and just so unhappy still. He is a good man and good father but I do not love him anymore. We do not have any physical contact anymore and haven’t for over 8 years, I have broached the subject but he just brushes it under the carpet. I can’t live like this for much longer but I am so scared of ruining my children’s lives.
We have great family times but there is nothing left between him and I anymore. Is anyone else in the same situation?

coronafiona · 07/08/2020 20:31

BBs I'm similar Sad

BBsMummy2020 · 07/08/2020 21:07

Hi. How old are you children? Sorry to hear you’re in the same situation x

KaylieM · 08/08/2020 08:16

@BBsMummy2020 I can totally understand your situation cos it’s taken me years to come to the decision of separation. Been so scared how it will affect my son and whether I’ll be able to support him through that mental trauma. I still don’t know how it will turn out to be but I gave a lot of thought to the real happiness of me and my son. Its not easy at all but you deserve to be happy.

BBsMummy2020 · 08/08/2020 09:58

Thank you 😊

Doyouknowwhat · 08/08/2020 14:10

Name changed for this thread .

I'd like to join in for some support.things have been rubbish for years, but we've plodded on for the kids, one with sen.
H announced on Thursday that he'd had enough and is moving out.
He is out looking at house shares right now.
No idea how we are going to split things financially, he won't even discuss it, just wants to move out, asap.

BBsMummy2020 · 08/08/2020 15:52

Hi. Sorry to hear this. I don’t actually know if I can do this because of the kids 🙁

Doyouknowwhat · 08/08/2020 16:36

Kids are adaptable. If it's possible financially to house you all, then do it, if it's what you want

KaylieM · 11/08/2020 21:05

After years of thinking I finally managed to speak to my husband and ask him to move out but he refused. He said he’s not leaving the sight of our son. I’m now back to square one. Can’t seem to fit into any of the 5 grounds for divorce. When I spoke to a solicitor he said that I can actually go on the grounds of 5 years of separation although we live in the same house because we don’t live like a married couple, eat together, do things together etc. But I don’t even know whether I have to prove these things and how.. Anyone who can help who’s been through divorce ?

BBsMummy2020 · 12/08/2020 00:31

Hi Kayliem.
Sorry to hear about your situation.
I’m not sure about divorce.
How are you doing?
X

BritInAus · 12/08/2020 01:21

Honestly, once you've said the words, that awful bit will be done. So many people wait for months or years because of the fear of that bit.

It will be ok, I promise.

KaylieM · 16/08/2020 21:32

You are right.. it’s a big step out of your comfort zone.

KaylieM · 16/08/2020 21:35

I’m not bad thank you but not 💯 either. Trying to pull through this but a lot of anxiety kicks in every time I think about the next step and how difficult he will make it for me. So hard to live under one roof and I’m praying to go back to work soon. Hoping to speak to a solicitor in the coming week. How are you doing @BBsMummy2020?

Raver84 · 16/08/2020 22:41

I'm 3 months into the process now. I've applied for the divorce he has received my application but hasn't acknowledged it yet. It's like my ex is in total denial. Living under 1 roof with him not even leaving for work became so unbalrable me and the kids have gone to stay in another house until they go back to school. Hopefully by then he would have found somewhere to rent. He won't cooperate at all with trying to work through finances etc has just denied its all happening. Rapidly starting to really dislike him even more.

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