On behalf of Cooper & Tanis, P.C. posted in child custody on Monday, March 6, 2017.

Colorado parents who are ending their marriage and who are concerned about how their children will be affected by divorce can try to minimize conflict in order to help them adjust. Some children might benefit from counseling. If parents can sit down together with children to talk to them about the divorce, this is better than having parents talk to them separately. Children may have questions that parents should answer in a way that will reassure them that they are safe and their parents love them.

Some parents can live together throughout the divorce process. Those who cannot, however, may need to put a temporary custody and support order in place. Another solution may be for the children to remain in the family home while parents take turns living there.

Parents should focus on effective co-parenting and not fighting in front of children. They should not share inappropriate information with children or badmouth each other. If parents are struggling to keep communications with one another neutral, using text messaging may help. Parents may also want to explore the possibilities of mediation. This may be a low-conflict way of coming to an accord on the applicable issues and might be less expensive than litigation.

Negotiating child custody might be an emotional process for parents. They have several different options. Usually, parents share legal custody. This means that they will both be involved in decisions about issues such as the child’s education and health care. The child may split their time between the two parents if the parents agree to share custody, or the child may primarily live with one parent. Parents should consider the best interests of the child. Older children might have some input into the decision about which parent they live with.