Costs of Divorce for couple and children

Consider your time and money as the costs you may need to consider the cost of separation and divorce. These include:

• A contested divorce where things get nasty can run up $40,000 in legal fees. Compare 12 (90 minute) counselling appointments of $2,160.
• Pain in the legal proceedings and pain, grief, loss of your love relationship. (Estimated pain costs of $10,000)
• Sense of failure, guilt and shame effecting your self confidence and self-esteem. (Put in your estimate of costs as that effects you for a life-time.) 
• Loss of status, social rejection and isolation by church, friends, and family. 
• Loneliness.
• Loss of family love of children and wife that protected and nurtured your spirit.

Cost for children:

• Anxiety and insecurity caused by parents fighting.
• Self-worth and confidence damaged by one parent denigrating the other parent.
• Loss of significant relationship with both parents replaced by diminished relationship with both or just one parent.
• Loss of secure home base provided by both parents being together.
• Possible loss of childhood to be replaced by growing up too soon and take adult emotional responsibility - for example being a support to mom.
• Possibly uprooted from schools, home, friends and community.
• Loss, or lessening, of family love of mother and father that protected and nurtured your spirit.
• Effects on physical health, emotional development, peer relationships and educational attainment.
• Depression and anger and loss of respect for parents.