Divorce lawyers help preserve the best interests of children during a divorce

More than half of all marriages will end in divorce, but divorce doesn’t always just impact spouses. When children are involved, divorce becomes more complicated. In most cases, emotional and financial concerns occupy the parents’ minds to the point where preserving the best interest of the children can be lost. A former spouse may inappropriately fight for custody or joint custody, or ask to pay a low amount of child support. In these cases, a divorce lawyer can help one fight to preserve the best interests of the children.

The majority of times, custody is awarded to the mother. However, this is not always the case. Increasingly fathers are awarded custody or joint custody, but in these instances reasons for removing full custody from the mother must be discussed and reviewed carefully by the court. Custody is a delicate matter. Divorced parents will sometimes treat it like a battle, but it really ought to be a way to maintain a stable home for the children. If a child lives in a specific school district within an area like Cedar Rapids, IA, ideally they should be able to stay at their school and in their home. This isn’t always possible, but a divorce lawyer may be able to help the primary parent who has kept the residence where the child lived gain custody. The priority should always be providing a stable home for the children.

However, financial stressors may threaten the ability for a primary parent to maintain a stable home for the children. After a divorce, a household often experiences a significant cut in income. At this point maintaining the children’s quality of life to the same standard they had before may be almost impossible. In some cases, losing the place of residence is likely or inevitable. Ideally a parent living in Cedar Rapids, IA would be able to move within the same school district to allow their child to attend the same school and keep the same friends, but this is not always realistic. Sometimes primary parent may struggle to keep up with bills without a second income, even to the point where affording food and clothing is difficult. Child support can be the difference between keeping a household together and financial ruin, but those charged with paying child support will often fight to pay the lowest amount possible, regardless of the potential consequences. A divorce lawyer is an invaluable resource for negotiating fair child support rates that will keep food on the table.

Because a divorce’s greatest impact is often on children, it is important to protect them and their best interests. Even in an amicable divorce this means seeking out the help of a divorce lawyer to fight for the best custody arrangement and the fairest child support rate. A good divorce lawyer in Cedar Rapids, IA will mean the difference between preserving a child’s quality of life and having them fall victim to the chaos of financial instability.