September is the most popular month for Manchester couples to split after summer loving comes to an end.
Post-summer separations are popular with September and October are often the busiest times of the year for family lawyers, marking a peak in the number of couples filing for divorce.
Manchester divorce lawyers Irwin Mitchell say the hotbed of break-ups may come as no surprise to many couples, who, fresh from spending time together on their summer holidays, find themselves questioning their compatibility.
Fiona Turner, a specialist family and divorce lawyer at Irwin Mitchell’s Manchester office, said: “When shop windows are filled with ‘back to school’ posters and parents are busy kitting out their children in new uniforms, many couples will also be planning for their own new start.”
The lawyer also warned about the effect that marriage separations may have on children with half of all divorces involving kids.
Research showed that 49% of couples having difficulties tried taking a holiday together to repair their relationship – but 27% of divorcees admitted that there was no fun in the sun as they failed to help save their marriage.
The kids return for a new term, the parents get stuck in a rut as they return to their regular routines – causing an evaluation of their marriage.
She said: “Couples tend to have spent more time together over the past six weeks and that has either cemented previously held views that their relationship is not working or something has happened over that period to make them think long and hard about separating and divorce.
“Separation will have a major impact on all of the family and it is vital that where children are involved the divorce process runs as smoothly as possible.
“Handling this difficult situation sensitively from the start and minimising the disruption to children can make a massive difference in the long term to how family relationships work in the future.”
Pre-booked and paid for holidays – that quickly become make-or-break for relationships – are a motive for sticking it out for the summer period.
Fiona also gave more insight into the reasons behind the boom in separation rates and said: “Many people tell us that September is almost like a second new year as children go back to school and they believe it is the time for a new start.
“It also gives people several months before Christmas to hopefully get some clarity about their situation before the next holiday period.”
For those who do fall foul of the September divorce spike, Fiona recommends that couples seek specialist advice and consider options such as meditation and collaborative law.
Image courtesy of Nick Nguyen with thanks
