How should I discuss my divorce with others?

If you and your spouse in Tennessee have made the choice to end your marriage, you will soon realize that this decision has an impact beyond just the two of you. Certainly, this is true if you have children together but even your other extended family, neighbors, friends and colleagues will at some point come into the picture. For you, this can be a challenge as you may not know how to field questions or discuss this change in your life. It will be important for you decide how you will talk about your divorce to all of these people.

The Chicago Tribune recommends you decide how you want people to think about your divorce and what you want them to know and then practice your “speech”. What you say to people might differ based upon their role in your life. A co-worker may need to know less than what you might share with your child’s teacher, for example.

When deciding what you will say to which persons, you should take extra care to avoid posting too much, if anything, on social media. This is a channel that can reach everyone and that allows your words to be taken out of context too easily. It is also not able to be changed or fully deleted once you make that post.

This information is not intended to provide legal advice but is instead meant to give residents in Tennessee some guidance on how they might talk about their separation or divorce with other people at work or in social circles.