When divorce is on the horizon, it can make living under the same roof with your spouse extremely difficult. In this scenario, moving out seems like the most natural maneuver, but not so fast, especially if you're a father.

One of the biggest mistakes that fathers make during the divorce is to voluntarily pack up and move out of the family home. This mistake is so common, divorce lawyers view it as one of the biggest mistakes that dads can make when facing divorce.

When Husbands Feel Obligated to Leave

Whether or not a husband did something unforgivable during the marriage, often the reason men move out is because they feel it's their obligation to leave – even when the divorce was her idea.

Every day men going through divorce move out of the marital home and every day they realize that this was a blunder, especially when they have children.

Digging a Deeper Hole

When husbands move out, they don't realize that they're digging themselves a hole before the papers are filed. One of the top reasons not to leave the marital residence "voluntarily" is because your wife's attorney now has the opportunity to say that you abandoned your family.

Even if your wife is "throwing you out," know that as long as your name is on the lease or mortgage, you're under no obligation to leave.

When you leave voluntarily, you're showing the court that not only is your spouse perfectly fit to take care of the kids, but staying close to them for daily interactions isn't a big deal.

By moving out you're establishing a new status quo that could end up as a part of the final decree. In other words, the current arrangements appear to be working fine in the eyes of the court.

To learn more about how moving out affects child custody, contact a divorce attorney!