It is impossible to know how someone will respond to the news of divorce. If he or she is expecting it, and you have discussed the issue before, the reaction might be easy to handle. However, angry or surprised spouses may react in one or more of the following ways:

• Complete silence
• A request for an explanation
• A quick exit to go think alone
• Various threats

If your spouse reacts with a threat, it often involves money or the kids. For example, your spouse might swear that you will never get alimony or any of your shared assets. He or she might simply threaten to ensure that the case carries on for years so that you give up. However, the lawyers at Brian D. Perskin & Associates P.C. know how to continue moving the case forward so that your spouse’s attempts to stall do not work. The uncooperative spouse could even get into legal trouble for using stall tactics, so rest assured that this approach will not work for him or her.

If you have kids, your spouse will likely threaten that you will never see them, even if you are currently the primary caregiver. Fortunately, your spouse would be wrong in most cases. In fact, most courts frown on parents using their kids to control someone out of anger, so this kind of threat can even reduce your spouse’s chances of getting child custody.

Most judges want to help both parents be involved in the child’s life, unless one of them is a threat to the child’s safety. This means that as long as you can provide a safe, loving home for the child, you still have a chance of custody or at least visitation, despite your spouse’s threats.