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Amicable Divorce & Higher Education Costs: A Utah Guide

When a couple with children gets a divorce in Utah, there are many considerations to make, including child support and custody arrangements. Many couples choose collaborative divorce and other more amicable ways to separate to reduce the impact on their children. According to Psychology Today, the changes that divorce creates for children has the potential to lead to long-term impacts on the child.

Amicable Divorce

THE IMPACT OF AMICABLE DIVORCE ON CHILDREN

The changes affect children differently based on their age. Adolescents tend to react aggressively, which might lead to rebellious actions. For young children, divorce leads to anxiety and uncertainty, due to the new instability of separated parents and shared custody arrangements. This might lead to regressive responses in young children, such as bed-wetting, tantrums, whining and other issues.

To reduce these negative impacts of divorce, parents can take actions. Working together to create routines that reestablish a sense of order for the family plays a big role. Children also need reassurance about the care parents are taking to continue a loving family arrangement. Divorcing parents of adolescents can help support the adolescent by providing increased responsibility to provide a healthier role for their wish for independence.

According to PsychCentral, amicable divorces create specific problems for children. Children often attempt to bring parents back together, and might even resort to threats to make it happen. They might also come up with their own reasons for the divorce, which might make one party at fault or even themselves. Sometimes, it is easier for children to understand why parents separate when there is a more obvious reason behind it, such as significant fighting or tension. Continuing to work together to assure the children and demonstrate love is the best way to work through the divorce. Ultimately, an amicable divorce is better for the children.

FIGURING HIGHER EDUCATION INTO DIVORCE SETTLEMENTS

From the cost of books to transportation to living expenses to tuition itself, the price of going to school for a college degree and/or certificate is certainly steep these days. In fact, countless families throughout Salt Lake City, Utah, and elsewhere confront serious financial difficulties over higher education expenses. It’s no wonder, then, costs related to higher education often factor into divorce mediation and settlement cases.

Because the process of determining what role, if any expenses relating to higher education play in a divorce, it is always recommended that individuals seek the counsel of an experienced divorce attorney before making any arrangement with their spouse. For one thing, there are instances where a monetary value is actually placed on the degree that resulted from the education. And while that practice is not necessarily standard, it’s more likely that any financial support provided by one spouse to the other during the period they were going to school may be considered. Spousal support payments can be determined at least in part by deciding how dependent the student spouse was on the financial support of the providing spouse.

And when it comes to divorcing couples with children, the higher education ambitions of the kids can be taken into consideration as well. Since both parents can be held accountable for the care and financial needs of children that are not yet emancipated, it is recommended that parents facing divorce be very clear and specific about whether and how they intend to financially support their kids through college. If a divorce settlement does include details concerning expenses like tuition and books, it’s important that both parties understand that they are agreeing to a legally binding contract that cannot easily be altered in the future.

Free Consultation with Divorce Lawyer

If you have a question about divorce law or if you need to start or defend against a divorce case in Utah call Ascent Law at (801) 676-5506. We will help you.

Michael R. Anderson, JD

Ascent Law LLC
8833 S. Redwood Road, Suite C
West Jordan, Utah
84088 United States

Telephone: (801) 676-5506