Whether you face a divorce or separation from your child’s other parent, you likely know how important it is for you to be able to provide for your child despite the split. Between matters like financial needs, everyday growth and emotional support, the demands in your role as a parent may seriously change following the establishment of child custody arrangements.
So, how do you adapt to such change when, as a professional, you devote so much time and energy to making money on behalf of your family? More importantly, how can you show a Texas family court that you are capable of devoting time to your child? Consider the following tips as you plan with your attorney:
- Understand you are not alone in this: Knowing you are likely not the only one with the child’s best interests at heart may open you up to empathizing with a judge and your ex-spouse, which may help both sides come to a beneficial arrangement for your child.
- Free up your schedule when possible: Does your boss know things will be changing for you soon? Perhaps you should talk to them about opening some time so that you may attend your child’s extracurricular activities or give them rides to and from school. Furthermore, it may help your case to be more proactive about planning ahead schedule-wise.
- Have realistic expectations: The perfect divorce or separation simply does not exist, and it may take some personal adjustment for you moving forward with a new parenting dynamic. Set realistic goals and expectations for what you can get accomplished during your split. Consider how many days do you want to see your kid vs. how many days are you able to see them. This goes for parents in a joint or sole custody arrangement.
Your child deserves as much of you as you can provide them, and there are ways to support them on all levels and still maintain your career. It all starts with preparation.