I don’t think it will be news to anyone that holidays can be extremely stressful. Add a recent divorce to the mix and you have the possibility of increasing the stress many fold. When couples first get married they often go through a difficult time trying to negotiate how to celebrate holidays. Each member in the partnership comes from his or her own family background and traditions for how to celebrate.

One of the best ways to begin your new life after a divorce or separation is to learn something - go back to school, take a course or take up a new hobby.

When one spouse goes back to school, the other feels like he or she is on the outside looking in. Someone they deeply love is (ideally) pursuing something they’re passionate about, devoting time, and energy into learning new skills or ideas in order to find employment that will help the couple maintain a certain standard of living for the next season of life.

After sixteen years of marriage and twenty-one years of partnership, my husband is no longer interested in our marriage. He’s checked out, he wants to divorce and yet we can’t afford to separate. The budget is carefully examined and the bills are considered. Daycare is a problem. So, what do we do?