Divorce can bring up a number of questions when child custody is involved. No matter the background or whether children are biological or adopted, how these questions are answered will have a lasting impact on everyone involved. Determining one’s child custody arrangement is one of biggest challenges for divorcing couples. Family law professionals in Georgia can assist parents as they work through this aspect of divorce.
Children of various ages often react differently to learning that their parents will be splitting up. Younger children may not fully understand what is going on or may blame themselves for their parents not being in love anymore. Elementary and middle school-age children typically want everyone to get along and be nice to each other. Older children may judge their parents’ actions or decisions and decide to take sides, especially if encouraged to do so by one parent.
No matter the age of the children, though, there are some things that parents should be aware of as they create and work through a child custody arrangement. Children desire to maintain relationships with both parents. This means being able to spend quality time with both parents. Furthermore, children do not want to be forced to take sides. Whatever the conflict may be, parents need to remember that the children do not need to know every detail, nor should they have to side with one parent over the other.
Divorce can be a challenging and stressful time as families try and find their new normal. Figuring out one’s child custody arrangement at the same time can be especially difficult. Georgia professionals in family law have a great deal of experience handling child custody of all kinds and can provide guidance and assistance to divorcing couples, keeping the child’s best interest in mind.
Source: CBS News, “Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s split raises questions about how divorce affects kids“, Mary Brophy Marcus, Sept. 23, 2016
