When choosing a career path, or even a job that we need to have to currently satisfy a need—we tend to focus on things like salary, benefits, opportunities for advancement, and commuting time. Your lifestyle is often affected by this choice.

The number of hours you work, the stresses particular to that kind of job, and what type of people you deal with daily. What we often forget to consider is how this career could affect our relationship with our spouse.

Divorce usually means dividing up part of your life that you and your partner once shared. Issues like who gets what, how much time children will spend with each parent and other matters can be handled by lawyers or through the court system.

Unfortunately, neither the legal system nor an attorney can decide for one important asset the gets left out of the divorce process–your friends. Losing friends during a divorce can be as equally hurtful and confusing as losing any other important asset.

January is the time to make resolutions for the New Year. But as anyone with a health club membership can tell you, most people give up these resolutions by mid-February.

When it comes to your children, however, it’s important to resolutions that last. Newly divorced parents can and should learn from the mistakes of others.

The resolutions below will help you avoid these mistakes and create situations that will help instead of hurt your children.