Breakup Advice - Divorce Paaahty!

Tips for Throwing a Party to Celebrate Your Divorce and Relationship Breakup

Relationship Advice Expert April Masini

Advice Seeker: Dear April Masini,

I'm finally divorced after a lengthy separation and I want to throw a divorce party for myself. Though I'm a bit sad by the breakup of my relationship, I also think it's a positive time in my life and the start of something new and exciting. However, I don't want to be disrespectful, especially to my ex-wife. Do you have any tips or advice I need to follow for throwing a divorce party?

Sincerely,

Newly Divorced

April Masini's advice:

Dear Newly Divorced,

Celebrating any change can be a great ritual and a way of making a transition from one way of life to another. Therefore, divorce parties can be wonderful steps in life. There are two pieces of advice I give:

1. Keep the tone positive. Do not resort to trashing an ex. In fact, trashing anyone is just negative energy that keeps you in a negative place and actually keeps you engaged with that person in a negative dynamic. And it’s so easy to do! Especially if the ex is the one who left. Focus on the idea that this is a way to start a new part of life. If you're going to a friend's divorce party, give gifts that are things the divorced person has never had or done before — for example, a gift certificate to a pottery class or a bikini! Celebrate the breaking out of a shell and trying new things.

2. Allow for grieving. A divorce can feel like a death, and the reception after a funeral is a lot different from the party to celebrate a birthday or some other festive event. Remember that although you may be wanting to celebrate, the person divorcing will have feelings of regret, loss, and sadness that need to be addressed in order for that person to heal. Rather than set the tone of a divorce party with streamers and balloons, consider a more intimate dinner party at a restaurant or home with movies screened and a mature base of friends and family as the guests.

Pick up a copy of my book, Date Out of Your League and find the woman you deserve and is deserving of you. Now's the right time to consider someone new. For date suggestions, Ideas for A Fun Date has great advice for first dates and fun and inexpensive (some downright cheap) dates... If you're ready for a hot date that kicks it up a notch, pick up my book Romantic Date Ideas.

You may also be interested in:
Dating Advice for Women, Dating Tips for Guys, Ideas for a Fun Date, Romantic Date Ideas, Better Sex, Kissing Tips

April Masini -- nicknamed "the new millennium's Dear Abby" by the media, is author of the best-selling books Date Out Of Your League and Think & Date Like A Man, the two (just released) step-by-step dating and relationship manuals, Ideas for a Fun Date and Romantic Date Ideas, and the critically acclaimed dating and relationship online magazine www.AskApril.com.