Protecting What Matters Most

Moving with children after divorce? Remember these tips

On Behalf of | Jul 12, 2021 | Child Custody

Many people think of their divorce as a fresh start. It’s a time to put your old life behind you and move forward with a new way of life. One thing that some people might not think about is how this fresh start is going to impact their children. 

In some cases, a parent may need to move out of the area with their children in order to achieve this fresh start. These kinds of plans are — quite naturally — often met with opposition from the co-parent. To achieve your goal, you may need to handle a few issues very carefully. Here are some tips:

Plan to preserve the relationship between your children and their co-parent

Even though a child moves out of one parent’s immediate area, they still need to be able to remain in contact with that parent. This means that you need to have a solid parenting time schedule that enables the child to spend time with both parents, so think ahead and consider what that may look like before you petition the court to be allowed to move. 

You may also want to look into e-visits and other forms of electronic parenting time. The older your children are, the more likely some form of virtual visitation can be used to help strengthen their bonds with their absent parent.

Talk to the children about your plans and reasons

You want your children to feel stable and know that both parents love them, even though they’re moving to a new area while having to leave one parent behind. Make sure that your children understand your reasoning for the move — and how the move can ultimately enhance all your lives. This can help you focus your argument for the court, as well, since the court is primarily interested in whether the move benefits the children in some way.

Anyone who’s going through a divorce that involves children should ensure that they’re taking steps to protect the children’s best interests. If there’s a chance that an out-of-state move will be necessary, addressing the matter in the child custody case is imperative. This should be done as early in the case as possible since it might impact other decisions that need to be made. 

Archives

FindLaw Network