Blended Families: The Latest Challenge in Crafting Workable Agreements for Custody
Blended households can be wonderful for parents and kids alike. Knowing that everyone has the potential to fall in love once more, even after a difficult and traumatic divorce, is encouraging.
Healthy connections with stepparents can also immensely benefit children. Unfortunately, mixed families could experience more difficulties both before and after divorce. The most common issues involve the kids, and the parents' hurt feelings from the divorce frequently factor in.
How to Handle Shared Custody
Before their divorce is even finalized, it's not uncommon for one parent to have started dating again. However, this may have an impact on the custody arrangement a mother desires. This is particularly true if the new partner speaks to her about how the child's biological father is unworthy of joint custody. Your high-conflict divorce lawyer is the first person to advise you that child custody frequently becomes more about punishing an ex than looking out for the child's best interests.
In blended families where the parents are divorcing, custody can sometimes be difficult. Stepdads frequently form close relationships with their stepchildren. For instance, they may share a home and like-minded interests. In addition, they may act as a father figure.
Unfortunately, after the divorce, many stepfathers are unable to see their stepchildren. With very few exceptions, it's likely that you won't be given legal visitation rights with the child. However, if you and your ex sincerely care about the child's best interests, you might be able to come to an informal visitation agreement.
You might be able to ask for a stepparent adoption if you are a married stepparent who wants more protection in case of a future divorce. This option is available only when the child's biological father is not present or is prepared to relinquish his parental rights.
Concerns About Child Support
Many men going through divorce are concerned about whether child support obligations end if their ex-wife cohabitates or remarries another person. This is feasible in the event of spousal maintenance. However, child support is exempt from this regulation.
Your child's basic needs are supposed to be covered by your monthly payment. The court may not hold your co-parent financially liable for your child just because they start a blended family with someone else.
Another question fathers often have is if their child support obligations will decrease when they remarry and have a blended family. Having more children to support, whether they are stepchildren or biological children from your second marriage, will not result in the court reducing your commitment. However, it is possible to ask that your support obligation be reduced if paying child support has become burdensome as a result of a job loss or if your ex's income has grown.
Giving Up Parental Rights
There are many instances of women getting married to new partners after having kids with their original partners. Unmarried fathers who had an unborn child are frequently, and correctly, anxious that the mother may try to limit their ability to be active in the kid's life. Therefore, when a new man enters the mother's life and expresses an interest in helping her raise her child, this raises even more questions.
The mother of your child shouldn't be entitled to revoke your parental rights, even if she has sole custody and has made an effort to keep your child away from you. The truth is, that judges believe that every kid should benefit from having a legal father. Therefore, the court normally strives to prevent terminating rights as much as possible.
As a result of these and other issues, you must be ready to go in court and defend your fatherly rights. You will have to do this despite the threats made by your co-parent and her new husband. Nevertheless, at the first sign of trouble, see a male family lawyer so you can start getting ready for the court appearance.