How to Shield the Kids From Harm During Your Separation
In religious and societal terms, marriage may be considered to be for life. However, things do not always work out this way in a large number of these situations, and the union can devolve into acrimony, dispute and uncertainty. If the two individuals in question were yet to raise a family, then there's always a way out and an ability for these two to go their separate ways. But if there are kids in the equation, the situation is very different, and it's important for the adults to turn this into as seamless a transition as possible. What is the best approach to take in this difficult time?
Your Responsibility
If the children are of a certain age, then they will be emotionally affected by the separation, no matter what you do. This is why you have to be so careful to reduce their exposure as much as possible and to come to an agreement without any sign of open dispute. You must try to talk everything through calmly and think about the children, first and foremost.
Kids First
The law provides a way to separate all your personal affairs and divide all your assets, to negate the union and to allow you to go forward as individual adults again. Your parenting responsibilities will, however, continue, come what may, and you need to devise a formal plan to address this.
Down to Detail
This parenting plan sets out in detail how each child will see and interact with each parent in the future. It will need to go into detail so that an adequate amount of time is spent with each parent and the child engages in wholesome activities when they're with that parent. You will both have a joint responsibility to make sure that the children take part in important life events, as they would if the marriage was still whole.
Allocating Money
Furthermore, you need to focus on key areas such as welfare, health care and education and decide how these are to be addressed from a financial perspective. Nothing should be left to chance, especially when it comes down to money, as this can lead to most contention in any separation. Just remember, unless you are able to come up with cast-iron plans yourself, then you may find that it is taken out of your own hands and see that child support agencies come into the frame.
Preparation Help
A parenting plan is principal, but it can be difficult to draw up under these conditions. Bring in an expert who specialises in family law to make sure that you do not miss anything.