If you are preparing to go through a divorce as a parent in Arizona, navigating the child-related aspects of your divorce will be among the most important parts of the process. You need to ensure that you are making informed decisions with your children’s best interests in mind, and you need to focus on developing a post-divorce parenting plan that will ideally work for everyone for years to come.
While this might sound overwhelming, there is a clear path to follow, and an experienced Phoenix divorce attorney will be able to help you make informed decisions every step of the way. Keep reading for some tips you can use to get started.
5 Tips for Arizona Parents Who Are Contemplating a Divorce
Are you preparing to go through a divorce with children in Arizona? If so, here are five tips from Phoenix divorce attorney Adam Weingart:
Tip #1: Start with Arizona’s “Best Interests” Factors
When it comes to matters involving child custody, everything begins with Arizona’s “best interests” factors. Under Arizona law, divorcing parents must develop a parenting plan that serves their children’s best interests, and the state’s “best interests” factors identify specific issues that parents need to address during the process. Some examples include:
- “The past, present, and potential future relationship between the parent and the child.”
- “The child’s adjustment to home, school, and community.”
- “The mental and physical health of all individuals involved.”
- “Which parent is more likely to allow the child frequent, meaningful, and continuing contact with the other parent?”
- “If the child is of suitable age and maturity, the wishes of the child.”
In a previous article, we discussed all of Arizona’s “best interests” factors in detail. For more information, you can read: What Are Arizona’s “Best Interests” Factors for Determining Child Custody?
Tip #2: Think Realistically About What Will (and Won’t) Work for You
While it is important to focus on your children’s best interests, it is also important to think realistically about what will (and won’t) work for you. If a particular type of child custody arrangement is untenable in your specific set of circumstances, then this arrangement most likely won’t be in your children’s best interests.
At the same time, when going through a divorce with children, it is important to give due consideration to all viable options. You and your spouse will both need to make compromises in order to reach an agreement that works for both of you. If you disregard options because they do not reflect your ideal post-divorce scenario, this could make it much more difficult (not to mention more stressful and more costly) to find a path forward.
Tip #3: Make Sure You Are Considering All of Your Options
In this same vein, as you start the divorce process, it is important to make sure you are considering all of your options. If your knowledge of the divorce process is based on your parents’ divorce a couple of decades ago, you may have options of which you are not currently aware.
This is especially true regarding child custody. While every-other-weekend custody arrangements used to be typical, today, split custody (or equal custody) arrangements are much more common. Options like co-parenting and birds’ nest custody can be desirable alternatives for some couples as well. By making sure you start with all of the options on the table, you can ensure that you do not overlook any desirable options during your divorce.
Tip #3: Make Sure You Are Considering All Potential Scenarios
Just as you will want to make sure you are considering all of your options, you will also want to make sure you are considering all potential scenarios. For example, while most divorcing parents focus on their normal weekly parenting time schedules, it is not uncommon for divorcing parents to overlook important considerations such as:
- Parenting time during the holidays
- Spring break and summer vacations
- Birthdays and other special events
- Child-related emergencies
- Working late and other issues that can interfere with normal parenting time schedules
We discussed these (and other) potential scenarios in a previous article as well. For more information, you can read: 7 Key Aspects of a Post-Divorce Parenting Plan in Arizona.
Tip #4: Approach Post-Divorce Parenting Time with a Long-Term Perspective
When thinking about your options, it is important to do so with a long-term perspective. While you can’t predict the future, you can think about what might change, one, five, or ten years down the line.
For example, if your children are not yet school age, you will want to think about how things might change once they enroll in kindergarten. Or, if they are in middle school, you will want to think about how high school (and everything that comes with it) will impact your parenting wants and needs. If you know that a parenting time schedule that works now isn’t going to work in the future, this is something that you can (and should) address during the divorce process.
Tip #5: Consider Parenting Time Alongside the Other Aspects of Your Divorce
Finally, as you start thinking about the divorce process, you will want to consider parenting time alongside the other aspects of your divorce. Will you be the one to remain in the family home or the one to move out? How much financial support will you need (or will your spouse need) after your divorce? These are important questions that can influence your custody-related decision-making, and if you wait to address them separately, you might find that you need to reconsider decisions you’ve already made.
Schedule a Free Initial Divorce Consultation at Weingart Family Law in Phoenix, AZ
At Weingart Family Law, we provide experienced, compassionate, and forward-thinking legal representation for divorcing parents in Arizona. If you would like to speak with a Phoenix divorce attorney at our firm, we invite you to get in touch. To schedule a free and confidential consultation, please call 480-542-0099 or tell us how we reach you online today.