Helping Your Kids Cope - Navigating Divorce With Your Child Custody Lawyer

Divorce is one of the toughest decisions one in every three American couples will have to make. The decision to end a marriage can be a complicated ordeal, especially when there are children involved. Sometimes parents try very hard to resolve their issues and process feelings through options such as therapy before pulling the plug on matrimony. Sometimes both parents agree that it's time to end a marriage, and sometimes one partner desires the separation more than the other. When sorting through these issues, it is very important to keep the children's well-being and happiness in mind. This is where a child custody lawyer can help.

Divorce is a very difficult occurrence for children to process emotionally, especially when one parent leaves the house where the children are raised. Many children have mixed emotions about wanting their parents to stay together or not, especially if they are aware that their parents haven't been happy in a long time. It is very important that your children know that they did not cause your divorce. Some children take this burden upon themselves, and firmly believe that if they had only tried harder, done better in school, and behaved better then their parents would still be together. Instead of blaming themselves, some children make it their personal mission to bring their warring parents back together. However, this method is equally ineffective and emotionally unhealthy for the child. Other children take the "problem child" approach and cause as much of a ruckus as possible at home and at school just so their parents will have to come together and co-parent to deal with the resulting issues.

With divorce comes many changes to you and your child's life. Some of these changes could include moving to another house, city, or state, splitting time between individual parents, and changing schools. Both parents will seek out a child custody lawyer to help resolve issues such as living arrangements, custody agreements, and visitation rights. Directly after these changes are enacted, day-to-day routines can feel disrupted. After time passes, hopefully a routine will emerge that works for both parents and the children. When two adults separate, finance dynamics within the family can change drastically. If one parent was not accustomed to working full-time before the divorce, he or she might have to find work to help pay for rent or mortgage on a new place, or fees for a child custody lawyer.

One way to manage your children's expectations and emotions during this trying time is to keep a cool demeanor. If both parents cannot communicate effectively without yelling or fighting, how can the children be expected to handle the divorce well? It is best if a truce is called on matters directly concerning the kids. The last thing parents need during a divorce is their child feeling as though she or he must pick a side. If two parents are beyond reconciling matters peacefully, it is best that professionals such as therapists and child custody lawyers step in to aid in matters.

This news article is brought to you by RADIO - where latest news are our top priority.

How to Create an Effective Custody Agreement and Visitation Schedule

If you are in the middle of a custody suit, you will be asked to create a parenting plan or custody agreement for your child. You will be legally obligated to abide by the rules set forth in your custody agreement once it is approved by the judge. The only way to legally change the terms of your custody agreement will be to return to court and argue your case before a judge.

Returning to court can be expensive and time consuming. If you want to avoid this inconvenience you should do everything you can to create an effective custody agreement the first time around.

Your custody agreement should address the legal custody of your child. Who will ultimately be responsible for making major decisions for your child? You can assign decision making authority to each, either, or both parents. These decisions include your child's education and medical care. Basic decisions such as what your child will eat for breakfast are generally determined by the parent who is physically caring for the child at the time.

Your custody agreement should address the physical custody of your child. Where will your child live? You will need to create an effective visitation schedule that gives your child the proper amount of time with each parent.

Your visitation schedule will need to address the holidays and vacation time in addition to a general parenting time schedule. Holidays take precedence over the regular visitation schedule. Children should be given a more equitable amount of time with each parent for holidays and special occasions. Some parents opt to take turns having the child every other year on the various holidays but you may create the holiday schedule as you see fit.

Your custody agreement should contain provisions to help you resolve problems and make modifications to the plan without returning to court. You should include methods for periodically reviewing the plan, making changes to the plan, and dispute resolution.

Your custody agreement should contain additional provisions that address potential sources of conflict and resolve them. Transportation, communication, optional expenses, the child's belongings, and how medical bills will be paid are just some of the topics you may want to consider including in your plan.

Once you have created a proposed parenting plan, you will need to work with the other parent to reach an agreement. This will require patience and compromise. If you want your custody agreement to be effective, both of you are going to have to agree to the terms of the agreement. Reaching an agreement is in your best interest and is in the best interest of your child.

If you are unable to reach an agreement with the other parent, your custody arrangements will be created for you by the judge or another officer of the court. Allowing the court to decide your child's fate creates conflict. Neither one of you may be happy with the terms of the assigned agreement. This could lead to arguing with each other for years to come. You really need to set your feelings aside for the sake of your child in order to make an effective visitation schedule and the best possible custody arrangements for him or her.

This news article is brought to you by HAPPINESS - where latest news are our top priority.

Child Support: Getting The Money You Deserve

Taking care of your children without the benefit of child support is difficult. The expense that children accumulate is often overwhelming including their medical bills, school costs, and even the food and clothing they constantly require. Instead of trying to take on the burden alone, it is important to track down the other responsible parent and seek out financial assistance. There are a variety of different local agencies and attorneys that are willing to work with people looking to track down the non-custodial parent and financial assistance.

Locate a Local Agency or Law Firm:
Each state has different agencies that work with individuals seeking child support. In these situations, a claim is filed and the non-custodial parent is tracked down. Before going down to the agency, consider looking up the necessary information or making phone calls to learn more. There is a good chance that you may have to wait in line before seeing someone about your situation. You want to be prepared and have all of the information you need upfront.

If you already know this person's name and his or her whereabouts, it makes the search a little easier. The more details you have the better including the person's phone number, address, last place of employment or even a social security number. If you are working with a child support attorney, this information will be turned over to the firm.

Proof of the Child's Existence:
It may seem strange but you must be able to prove that you have children that are the subject of the child support claim. While bringing them to the agency or law firm is great, you will need to be able to show a birth certificate and a social security number. If the birth certificate has the name of the non-custodial parent, there is a good chance that your financial claim will go through. If the man is not mentioned on the birth certificate, there are still ways to prove paternity and responsibility.

Going to Court:
While ideally people want to handle these things outside of court, sometimes there is just no way around it. An agreement must be reached between you and the non-custodial parent with the help of a legal representative. The agreement should be legally binding. There are times when a question will arise about whether or not the non-custodial parent is actually the father. In this case, the potential father and the children will need to undergo DNA testing to find out for sure.

Receiving the Funds:
Once the court orders child support, there is no guarantee that you will receive the money. In fact, many parents find that they need to work with enforcement agencies to receive the funds. In some cases, the non-custodial parent will have wages garnished in order to live up to the financial agreement.

This article is brought to you by DATING SERVICE.