Without children, knowing when a marriage is no longer healthy can be simple. As a parent, the stresses of family life can blur this line, and knowing when to divorce with kids can be difficult. Some parents choose to stay in unhappy, unhealthy marriages because they think doing so is in their children’s best interest. Do not make this assumption. It is far healthier for a child to grow up with healthy relationships with divorced parents than it is to grow up in a conflict-ridden household.

Providing for your Children’s Financial Needs

In many divorces between parents, one parent is ordered to make child support payments to his or her former spouse in order to help cover the costs of raising a child. These costs include food, shelter, and personal items such as clothing and school supplies.

You might consider including language in your divorce settlement that requires both parents to contribute to your child’s college expenses. Although parents are not required to continue to financially support their adult children, many parents choose to do so. Plan for your child’s financial future now.

Your Child’s Physical Needs After your Divorce

Your child will need a place to live after your divorce. In many cases, parents share custody of their child, though one may have sole physical custody. This means that the child resides in that parent’s household but spends regularly-scheduled time with the other parent.

Providing a home is one aspect of providing for your child’s physical needs after your divorce, but it is not the only one. You are responsible for ensuring that your child continues to receive medical care, which will require one parent to name the child as a dependent on his or her health insurance. You should also consider your child’s need for access to specialized medical or academic services when determining an appropriate custody arrangement.

How to Protect your Child’s Mental Well-Being After your Divorce

It is as important to take steps to ensure your child’s mental health as it is to ensure his or her physical health. Make yourself emotionally available to your child. Use the following guidelines to make it easier for yourself to be emotionally available, which does not come easily to everybody:

  • Encourage your child to engage in healthy expressions of his or her emotions, like drawing pictures or journaling;
  • Discuss the divorce in an age-appropriate manner with your children. Shielding them from the divorce completely will not prevent them from becoming upset, it will just make them feel like they cannot come to you with questions; and
  • Consider seeking professional mental healthcare to help your child, even if it is only a few counseling sessions.

Work with Our Team of Brooklyn Divorce Lawyers

If you are considering filing for divorce, discuss your case with experienced divorce lawyer Theodore Alatsas Esq. to determine the best way to handle it. Contact our office today to schedule your free consultation in our office, during which we can examine the details of your case and your needs.

Ted Alatsas
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Trusted Brooklyn, New York Family Law Attorney helping NY residents with Elder Law and Asset Protection
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