You Can Still Get The Majority Of Parenting Time Even If Your Ex-Spouse Has More Money Than You Do

Divorce brings a swirl of emotions with it, including anger, surprise, and sadness, sometimes mixed with relief and hope.  While your divorce case is pending, you might take consolation in the fact that you will soon be able to start a new chapter in your life, from asking your longtime crush out on a date to getting that tattoo or that puppy that your ex-spouse never wanted you to have.  If you have children and you depended on your spouse financially during your marriage, you might feel fear and dread about the power that your ex might be able to continue to wield over your family because of your ex’s stronger financial position.  Fewer things are more disheartening than when your children come back from a weekend with your ex, raving about the swimming pool at your ex’s house and about all the cool places your ex promised to take them.  Even if your kids cannot see through the outsized promises, the court can.  Decisions about parenting time are based on an overall assessment of the children’s best interests, not just on money.  If your ex is trying to use your vulnerable financial position to pressure you into giving up a lot of your parenting time, contact a Boca Raton child custody lawyer.

Stability Is Not Just About Finances

The Florida family courts consider more than a dozen factors when determining which parent spends which days of the year with the children.  Most of the time, the children’s school schedules and the distance between the parents’ houses makes it infeasible to divide the children’s time equally between the two parents.  The courts base their decisions on parenting time solely on the children’s best interests; money has nothing to do with it.  Only after the parenting plan has been drafted does the court decide how much the wealthier parent should pay to the financially disadvantaged parent so that each parent pays a proportional share of the children’s expenses.

One of the factors the court considers is which parent has thus far assumed more of the day-to-day childcare responsibilities.  That means that, if you were a stay-at-home parent during your marriage, and you were the one who bathed the children when they were little and attended parent-teacher conferences once they started attending school, the chances are good that the court will want you to remain in this role.  The court does, however, expect able-bodied divorced people of working age to return to the workforce instead of or in addition to receiving alimony. This means that your ex can’t take your children away from you just because you were a stay-at-home parent, but you may need to adjust to a new normal as a working parent.

Contact Schwartz | White About Child Custody for Former Stay-at-Home Parents

A South Florida child custody lawyer can help you remain the main source of stability in your children’s lives, even if it means that you must return to the workforce.  Contact Schwartz | White in Boca Raton, Florida about your case.

Source:

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