Children whose parents are divorcing can have varied reactions to the news of the divorce. Depending on their age and maturity level, they may not understand what a divorce is let alone what it means. Some children react with feelings of guilt, thinking they are the cause of the divorce. Other children may fear that they will lose one or both parents because of the change. As the parent, it is your job to make sure that your child understands the situation so that they can have healthy reactions. Here are three tips you can use to help you tell your children about your divorce:

If you are a business owner, your business is most likely one of the most expensive assets that you own. Deciding who gets to keep the house is one thing, but a business is a whole other creature that can be difficult to divide when you are getting divorce.

Divorce is financially stressful in virtually all cases. Many American families rely on two incomes to make ends meet. When you divorce, your income is reduced to your income alone, which can mean big changes for your lifestyle. In addition to having your income reduced, your expenses also tend to increase.

There are many ways you can go about getting divorced. There is divorce mediation, collaborative divorce, even a do-it-yourself divorce - but the most common process couples decide to go with when getting a divorce remains to be a litigated divorce.

Children, especially, can have a difficult time with divorce. Divorce brings much uncertainty into the lives of everyone in the family, and children, who thrive off of stability, can be affected much more strongly than others. There are things you can do to help alleviate some of the stress your children have because of the divorce. Here are five ways you can help your children cope with this big change in their lives:

In Illinois, child support payments end when the child turns 18 years old or when he or she graduates from high school, whichever comes later. The ending of high school does not mean that both parents are done contributing to the child’s living expenses, though. Under Illinois law, parents are also subject to “non-minor support,” which is typically used while the child is in college. Many times, you can address this issue before your divorce is finalized by putting who will pay what in the divorce agreement. If you did not address this issue before you finalize your divorce, do not fret…

Up until the 1990s, social researchers associated premarital cohabitation with higher rates of divorce. Both cohabitation and divorce were less socially accepted at the time, and conventional wisdom said that people who committed the taboo of cohabitation would be more willing to commit the taboo of divorce. Society’s views on cohabitation have softened in recent decades, and some divorce studies have concluded that cohabitation can decrease the likelihood of divorce. However, researchers lack a consensus on the effects of cohabitation before marriage.

Child support payments in Illinois usually end after a child turns 18 or graduates from high school. However, a family court can order both parents to contribute toward a non-minor child’s post-high education. Paying for your child to attend college can cost tens-of-thousands of dollars each year, and getting your co-parent to help pay for it may be the best way to afford it. The court will not automatically award you child support to pay for college expenses. You must prove that the support payments are necessary, and your child student must meet certain conditions for the payments to …

People commonly experience depression after a traumatic event, such as leaving a stressful marriage and getting a divorce. However, there is a distinction between trauma-related depression and clinical depression, which can be hereditary. Depression caused by trauma can gradually subside, though it may take months or years. Clinical depression, also known as major depression, likely existed before your divorce and may grow worse if left untreated. Research suggests that people with clinical depression are more likely to have conflict in their marriages, which may lead to divorce.

Paternity is an interesting subject. When a woman gives birth to a baby, there is no question as to if that woman is the baby’s biological mother - but there is no automatic link to know who the baby’s biological father is.

When you are married, that typically means that your finances are woven together, which makes things easier for you and your spouse to handle life’s expenses. This all changes once you decide to get a divorce. A divorce is not only the severing of your emotional relationship, but also your legal and financial relationship.

Studies have shown that divorced fathers have higher rates of depression and suicide than divorced mothers. They are less likely to regularly seek medical attention and more likely to participate in risky behavior, such as substance abuse and unprotected sex. These facts should not dissuade fathers from ending a bad marriage, which also has a negative effect on their health and quality of life. They show that many fathers need to do more to preserve their happiness and health after their divorces.