The end of a marriage is never easy, especially when children are part of the equation. The best you can do is to make sure things as painless as possible for you and your children.
Writing on The Huffington Post, attorney Bari Zell Weinberger listed three questions parents should ask to tell if their custody arrangement is a good fit.
1. Are my expectations realistic?
Weinberger advises divorced parents to make an honest assessment of their plan, and to be sure that it reflects a wish to give their children stability, rather than “a need to punish your former spouse.”
2. Does your plan reflect your children’s ages, activities and needs?
A custody agreement should recognize that a lot of factors are in play. Work schedules could change, kids might have newfound trouble in school, or grow out of a particular activity.
“What is important to remember is that children can change, sometimes dramatically, in only the space of a few months,” Weinberger writes.
The sport your daughter loved at 9 might seem boring when she’s 12. A good custody agreement needs to be ready to tackle that kind of change.
3. Have you kept the lines of communication open?
A key component for any custody arrangement is the ability for co-parents to communicate to make sure their schedules stay on track. It can be something as simple as regular and – to use Weinberger’s word – “neutral” texts back and forth to confirm drop offs and pickups.
She also notes there are apps parents can download that will send them reminders and help them stick to the same schedule.
As we said at the start, the end of a marriage is never easy, and it’s important to have someone who can guide you to the best possible outcome. That’s what the PA family law attorneys at Penglase and Benson can do, drawing on 65 years of combined legal experience to help you make the best decisions for you and your children.
