When a divorcing couple has children, a significant portion of the time and effort that they put into their divorce gets spent discussing and making decisions about the kids. In addition to creating a parenting schedule and determining whether and how much child support will get paid, parents must make decisions about decisions. Raising kids involves many decisions, from choices about health care and extracurricular activities to decisions about religion and education. While it might seem like discussing decision making for the areas mentioned above and any others that apply to your family is a bit much to deal with during the already complicated process of divorce, making decisions about who will decide what, and when can save both parents and kids from additional stress and conflict later on.
Your children’s education from birth until adulthood involves many choices. Will they go to preschool or not? Public school, private school, or home school, and in what city or town? What will you do if any of your children require an IEP or other specialized assistance as they pursue their education? Who will guide the children’s’ decision making about their educational futures? Who, if anyone, will help them pay for college or other educational opportunities that cost money. These are just a few of the choices that parents and kids often face on the topic of education. If parents include guidelines for making these decisions in their divorce decree, the family will have a clear set of instructions for how to proceed as they go along.
It is essential that each divorcing couple decides during their divorce how they plan to handle all of the decision making that goes along with parenting. A divorcing couple can determine that one parent will make all of the major decisions for the kids, they can divide decision making by topic, or, as is often the case, they can choose to make decisions about the kids together. Your family law attorney can help you decide what is likely to work well for you and your former spouse regarding decision making during and after your divorce.
Much of the time, parents follow their agreed-upon plans for making significant decisions for their kids without issue until their children become adults and take on responsibility for making their own decisions. Sometimes, though, parents arrive at an impasse when they’re faced with a major decision involving one or more of their children. If you encounter a conflict, it is crucial that both you and your former spouse put some effort into resolving it because you and your child’s other parent are the people who are best qualified to make decisions for your children, not a judge. Sometimes remembering that is all it takes to get discussions moving in a more productive direction. Unfortunately, parents are sometimes unable to reach an agreement and do need to reach out to their attorneys for help. Fortunately, attorneys are often able to help former spouses agree on decisions without going to court.
If you have questions about your Texas divorce, call (903) 753-7499 today to schedule a consultation with Texas Family Law Attorney Alex Tyra. You can also visit our web page anytime to submit an online contact form.