Over the summer months, it’s common for your children’s routines to change significantly. If you and the children’s other parent are divorced, it can add some extra challenges to your custody and visitation arrangement.
With this in mind, below are a few of the most common co-parenting issues that arise of the summer — and how you can address them:
- Your child’s activities conflict with visitation time: Children often get involved with camps, sports and other summer activities that could conflict with previously scheduled visitation time. If you communicate with the other parent about the activity in advance, you should be able to come to an agreement about rescheduling visitation and sharing expenses.
- One parent plans activities for the child without consulting the other: This is one scenario that is likely to cause conflict, as one parent is essentially acting on behalf of both and then expects the other parent to commit to the time and money associated with the activity. If you are the one blindsided, you are in a difficult spot because saying no could disappoint your kids. Again, the best way to avoid this is to constantly communicate and make sure both parents agree to any major decisions.
- Your child wants to get a summer job: This is a common issue for parents of teenagers. It might be challenging to hold a job if a child is traveling between homes, especially if the child does not yet drive or if the parents do not live very close to one another. Spend some time talking about the logistics a summer job would involve.
More Common Myths about Divorce
Divorce is one of the most common legal proceedings, so it should come as no surprise that an immense amount of misinformation exists on the subject. Misconceptions about divorce are dangerous for those going through the process—they often make mistakes because they believe things that are simply untrue or are unaware of their options.
Expanding on a previous post, here are a few more widely-believed fallacies about divorce in Utah that it’s time to dispel once and for all:
- Half of marriages end in divorce. This statistic is misleading. It is true that the Centers for Disease Control reports the rate of divorce is about half the rate of marriage. But the data is complicated, and the truth is that marriages are lasting longer as the median age for marrying rises.
- Moving out of a marital or family residence during divorce could be considered abandonment and disentitle you to the property. In truth, if you are going through the divorce process, at a certain point one spouse must move out — physical separation is a natural first step. Even if only your spouse’s name is on the deed, a family home is typically considered marital property and subject to equitable distribution, regardless of who vacates first.
- Any couple can file for divorce in Long Island. Couples must meet Utah residency requirements in order to qualify for divorce anywhere in the state.
- If my child is over 13 years old, he or she must choose which parent to live with following the divorce. Courts would never force a child to pick which parent is his or her favorite. When teens and older children are involved in a divorce, the court may consider their opinions as they decide on an appropriate custody arrangement — but never if the child is reluctant to choose or incapable of understanding the implications of his or her decision.
Summertime Child Custody Lawyer Free Consultation
When you need legal help with a summertime vacation, please call Ascent Law at (801) 676-5506 for your free consultation. We will help you.
8833 S. Redwood Road, Suite C
West Jordan, Utah
84088 United States
Telephone: (801) 676-5506
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