Divorces can often times be overly complicated. From divvying up the assets to creating a new, more manageable schedule for the children, it seems the intricacies of divorce never end. That is Benny Rogosnitzky co-founded Frum Divorce, an organization dedicated to helping families deal with the pains associated with divorce. While some aspects of a divorce are easily cut and dry, some topics aren’t as simple.
Not only does the structure of your family life change, but so does your social life. If you and your previous spouse had mutual friends, the idea of sharing friends may seem like a difficult topic to approach. You may associate feelings of embarrassment or downright confusion with associating with that group of friends anymore. Understanding this aspect of divorce, Benny Rogosnitzky shares his insight on how to manage the topic of your divorce with your friends.
Openly Communicate: The key to making the process easier for everyone is to communicate. Express your thoughts and feelings with your mutual friends. It’s possible that they are unsure how to handle the situation, so addressing it head on can go a long way.
Create Rules: Assess your feelings and if possible, talk to your ex about how the two of you will handle your mutual friendships. Understand that feelings will be raw, but be flexible to the idea of those feelings changing for the better down the line.
Avoid Gossip: Your divorce is a touchy subject for everyone involved, including your friends. It is best to never gossip about your ex or the messiness of your divorce and settlements to mutual friends. You never know how word can get around to your ex, making the divorce that much messier.
Understand that the process can get messy. You may lose some friends along the way, but those who are your true friends will stick around.