Disagreements On How To Raise Children After A Divorce

Parents raising a child together often come to an agreement about major decisions concerning the child through much discussion. When parents go through a divorce, this co-parenting becomes harder, and in some cases is near impossible. After the divorce, parents may find themselves changing how they parent, and the changes they make often conflict with the other parent’s idea of how their child should be raised.

Decisions such as which sports a child will play, how late the child is allowed to be out, how much access a child is allowed to the internet for non-school work, and even which kinds of toys a child is allowed to play with, can suddenly turn into contentious issues after a divorce. Parents like to be involved in these decisions and if one parent becomes too strict or too lenient after a divorce, the other parent may want to get the court involved. If there are step parents involved who assist in making parental decisions, the issues between the parents may get more complicated.

Courts do get involved in some cases, especially when the disagreement relates to major issues such as religion or health issues affecting the child. If the parents are of different religious faiths, they may disagree on which faith the child will be raised under. Even if the parents had a prior agreement that a child will be raised following a certain faith, this agreement may not be enforceable in court. As always, courts determine whether to intervene in a parental disagreement as to a question of a child’s upbringing if it is in the best interest of the child.

However, courts are often reluctant to get involved in religious matters, because of the constitutional implications of limiting a parent’s First Amendment rights. But if a parent’s religion is likely to cause harm to a child, the courts will likely become involved. For example, if a parent refuses to seek medical assistance for a child because of religious reasons. In such cases, the involvement could lead to a change in custody or parenting time changes.

For minor issues, it is important for parents to try and work it out amongst themselves. It is important for parents to remember that making changes in parenting styles after divorce is to be expected, especially if the parents remarry and have other children. Children’s needs may also change after a divorce, and the way the parents handled disciplinary and other issues before the divorce may need to be reassessed or changed after the divorce.

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Parenting can be difficult after divorce if the parents cannot co-parent well where possible. While making concessions to facilitate co-operation with the other parent is key, parents cannot make concessions on issues that may cause the child harm. If your child’s other parent is making harmful decisions that directly affect your child, you should seek legal assistance.  Contact our experienced child support lawyers at the Law Offices of Schwartz | White in Boca Raton, Florida, to discuss how to handle this and other post-divorce child related issues.

Resources:

scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=149495131553911578&q=religious+beliefs+and+divorce&hl=en&as_sdt=4,10&as_ylo=2013

uscourts.gov/educational-resources/educational-activities/first-amendment-and-religion