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Will your travel for work impact your Connecticut custody case?

On Behalf of | May 16, 2019 | Uncategorized |

For most parents, daily life strikes a careful balance between family obligations and their job. After all, a career is important to support your family, as well as for your own sense of self-actualization. However, you don’t want to get so focused on your profession that you miss out on the most beautiful years of your children’s lives.

If you have a demanding career, you may have always depended on your spouse to close the gap between when you’re available and when your children need a parent there. If you are likely about to divorce, that support from your spouse will probably disappear.

It may be possible that your ex could try to use the demands of your job as a weapon against you in custody proceedings. Should you be worried about losing custody of your children because you travel as part of your job?

The Connecticut courts understand that adults must work

It is perfectly natural to worry about how your lifestyle appears to the courts. However, the courts interact with families of all backgrounds routinely. They understand that families have unique dynamics and that compromise is a critical part of any family’s divorce process.

Although an erratic schedule can make asserting your parental rights to custody time and visitation more difficult, it doesn’t mean the courts won’t allocate those rights to you. It just means you may need to keep an open mind about how to structure your custody arrangement or parenting plan.

Shared custody is the preferred outcome for the average family

For most custody cases, the Connecticut courts look to find a way to split parenting time between both spouses. Psychological research has made it clear that relationships with both parents are key to long-term emotional and social development in children and teenagers.

The courts will want to act in the best interests of the children, which will mean finding a way to split custody. The only circumstances in which the courts won’t agree to shared custody likely involve abuse or serious addiction issues.

Parental travel is a normal issue that the courts know how to handle. Even if your job takes you out of the state or out of the country with some frequency, the courts will attempt to develop a custody arrangement that ensures you have adequate parenting time with your children.

If you and your ex can be flexible, it will make shared custody easier

Having a contentious approach to shared custody can make things much harder for everyone in your family. It’s natural to feel angry or betrayed at the end of your marriage, but you need to be practical about the fact that you and your ex will continue to share custody for many years.

Trying to move forward by being professional and accommodating with your ex will inspire them to have a similar attitude toward you. Being able to reschedule parenting time when work demands alter your schedule is invaluable. If you prove that you are willing to compromise, your ex will likely try to meet you halfway.

In the event that your work obligations make it hard to enforce your parental rights, you may need to seek a modification of your custody arrangement that offers more flexibility.