The end of a marriage can be an awkward and difficult time for anyone to handle, and the more that’s built on top of that marriage, the harder it is to deal with it. By things built in a marriage, we can mean businesses, shared assets, or property. Perhaps one of the most difficult decisions logistically and emotionally is how childcare will take shape in this new normal. So, along with bringing on a child custody lawyer in Erie, here’s some insight on how to best manage this process.
Working With Your Divorce Lawyer in Erie
A key part of this is going to be working with the legal professionals of you and your spouse to lay the groundwork for a parenting plan. This generally covers how the family will split their time and take decisions on when it comes to their children. A key reason why this matters for your family’s future is that it will provide some clear expectations. Clear expectations, in this case, means lower amounts of conflict and confusion for children, no matter what role, and blending different schedules and commitments. You have a few ways to put together this plan. To start, you can either work solo or bring on a specialist to help set up your terms. Be sure that when you enlist a divorce lawyer in Westminster, you have any agreements made into a court order. This will make it easier for you to enforce things if your spouse doesn’t keep to the terms.
The final decree essentially dissolves the marriage, and will also provide insight on how responsibility for children will be handled. You have a few different categories here, for example, legal and physical responsibility. Legal responsibility covers the ability a parent will have to make decisions in the life of a child. This can be a wide range, from deciding the schools they attend to what religious beliefs they are raised under. Physical responsibility, on the other hand, focuses more on general care and where the child lives. Sometimes, this can be shared, which the child moving between both households.
When creating shared arrangements, family courts can provide a variety of different options. As an example, it’s possible to share physical responsibility, but not a legal responsibility. In other cases, legal responsibility can be shared, but the physical responsibility may end up split between various seasons. If an agreement can’t be reached, the judge handling your slip will end up dividing it for you. For most states, the laws require the child’s best interests to determine the final arrangement. Talk to your lawyer in Broomfield to figure out what the local laws are.
In practice, the best interest of the child is a combination of many factors. For example, the emotional, physical, and mental health of both parents will be taken into account. Whatever community the child has ties to, as well as the financial status of each parent, will also come into play. The child’s relationship to each parent, as well as legal issues that are relevant, will also be discussed.
Any of these applicable issues, as well as other ones, will all be discussed in a series of different family court proceedings. Each of these is designed to combine temporary orders as well as general procedures. You and your spouse will both have evidence and other points that the judge will talk about in their final decision. The judge will also cover these specific duties as well as what rights you have as a parent. When you decide to appear in court, you want to make sure you talk to a legal professional that can clue you into the proceedings as well as what you can expect. Make sure that you document your interactions with your children and spouse that may end up relevant. For proceedings themselves, be ready to answer questions from the judge, put together documents to prove your income and employment status, as well as present a case in a clear and understandable manner.
How To Handle Visitation
It’s important to explain that a parent may not have physical responsibility for a child, but they may be open to visitation rights. Most of the time, this is something discussed between parents, but if you can’t make an agreement, this needs to be established by the judge. A visitation can be unsupervised, where the other parent isn’t present or supervised when a third-party is available. This option is generally only used if a parent is seen as a threat to children. When you can visit, make sure you stay engaged, lower distractions, and listen to your children.
When it comes to making the most of things, no matter your responsibility or your personal feelings, you need to honor your commitments. This means being on time for any court proceedings, visits, events, or picking up/dropping off your child. Be sure not to talk about court events with your child as well. When you do make a promise to them, keep things realistic, or you may end up hurting their trust. Don’t expect to bribe your child with gifts, either.
It’s also essential that you talk to children about how to handle the end of a marriage. Even if things go in a friendly way, it can be hard for children to entirely comprehend things, and understand that both parents still love them. In terms of progression, you want to keep a close on how your child is doing, even as you manage court dates and negotiations. A child may have a problem with some issues and need some counseling on the discussion. It’s also essential that you never mention your spouse in a negative manner in front of the child. This just generates more negativity with little gain. When discussing new arrangements, you need to be ready to explain things clearly, even if the child gets frustrated.
Lastly, as you go through these proceedings, it’s important to keep the best interest of your child at heart. You don’t want to give way to ulterior motives when it comes to handling children during a marital split.
