Determining child custody arrangements may be one of the hardest decisions of your life.

1. Child Custody Arrangements and
What’s Best For You

2. Determining child custody arrangements may be one of
the hardest decisions of your life. It will almost certainly be
a point of contention in the ending of your relationship
with the other parent. Even if you can agree on what seems
best in theory for your children, putting that into practice
efficiently and effectively is often very hard to do.
When you and your partner are ready to discuss child
custody, be sure that you’re both fully committed to doing
what is best for the children, rather than what is best for
you. But do keep in mind that happy parents make happy
children. Don’t allow your co-parenting partner to put
more on you than is acceptable for you. Above all, make
sure that your kids will be well-cared-for, happy, and loved.
The primary aim in co-parenting is to work together to do
the best job possible raising your children.

3. There are as many options for child custody as there are
single parents. Many choose to share custody jointly and
equally, as they feel that equal time with their children is
best for the children and easiest on both adults. If that’s
not possible or advisable in your particular circumstance,
then work out how often and when one parent should see
them, and discuss it as rationally as possible. Your solution
can and should be tailored to your circumstances. The best
scenario for another family will not necessarily be the best
scenario for yours.

4. If rational discussion is not possible or not netting results,
then you may need to seek professional assistance. A
lawyer can help you determine what the judicial process in
your state entails in regards to child custody. In many
states, mediation sans lawyers is required before you can go
to court. Don’t delay in finding out what is needed; if you
are put in the position of needing to take advantage of the
court system, you’ll find that it moves slowly, much more
slowly than you’d prefer.

5. In addition to child custody, you’ll need to know the local
requirements for child support and child support
modifications. Your co-parenting partner may not be
interested in helping you account for the expenses involved
in raising your children, but depending on your custody
arrangement, they may not have a choice. Most states use a
calculation based on income, time the children spend with
each parent, and current assets to determine applicable
child support requirements. That amount is never written
in stone and can be altered to suit as time passes. For
assistance with child support modifications in Irvine, visit
this website.