Parents who go through divorce need to think about what’s best for the children, but this isn’t always easy when emotions are running rampant. You should try to separate your feelings about the marriage from your decisions about child custody so that you can ensure you are making decisions based on what the kids need.
Sometimes, situations turn bad, and the parents start making claims against each other. This is usually a bad situation for the children because they have to live in the middle of battling parents. If you are in this position, make sure that you aren’t doing things just to get back at your ex. Instead, remain calm and only think about your child’s future.
When you are just embarking on the child custody journey, you need to think about what’s truly important. At the top of this list is being able to spend meaningful time with your child. Your parenting time is when this happens.
The child custody order will include a schedule for who has the children when. This varies greatly from one case to another. Some parents share the time with the children equally, but others have a schedule that skews more toward one parent. Around 80% of cases involve the mother having primary custody of the kids.
Another factor that’s present in these cases is child support. The parent who has less time with the children is often the one who will pay for the support. These orders must comply with very specific laws that require both parents to offer financial support for the minors.
Having a comprehensive parenting plan helps the parents and the children to have the stability they need so that everyone can adjust to the current situation.