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Talking About Divorce to Your Children

Marriage is the union of two persons, not only in love but also in life. However, for a number of different reasons a married couple may end up filing for divorce or legal separation. As a divorce lawyer can attest, ending a marriage can be a complex and oftentimes an expensive and complicated process.

Divorce is different from a separation. Divorce means that the marriage has been legally dissolved, leaving no obligations and responsibilities to both parties, whereas a legal separation occurs when a couple lives apart from each other, but nevertheless maintains legal obligations of being a married couple, or follows directions regarding things like alimony or child support as determined by the court. Whatever the case may be, both can be especially complicated legal processes when there are children involved.

During a divorce, among the important things a married couple with kids should talk over with a divorce lawyer is the agreement on child custody and child support. Among the most important topics that should be discussed are;

  1. Medical care for the child or children
  2. Visitation rights
  3. Education and other financial issues concerning the rearing of the child or children
  4. Living arrangements
  5. Religious instruction

There are other factors to need to be discussed, but it is essential for both parties to negotiate and put on paper the prearranged parenting agreements. This can help in easing the tension of the divorce or separation and also provides a solid understanding of the obligations and responsibilities that both parties have for the child or children affected by the proceedings. When an agreement has been reached, it is always better to have the judge sign it for future reference just in case one party ever fails to uphold their end of the agreement and the agreement will need to be enforced by the court.

Whatever your reasons for filing for divorce happen to be, there is no doubt that doing so will have some effect on any children of that marriage. When filing for a divorce, or even just for legal separation, always be sure to give child custody and child support agreements the attention and consideration they deserve.