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Despite the impact of COVID-19, we are open and continuing to meet the needs of our existing clients and new clients without interruption or change in the quality of our services. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any concerns, questions or requests for information about your matter. At this time we are offering appointments via telephonic and/or video conferencing.
To help out during these trying times we are offering Free Consultations. Click here to Schedule a Consultation.

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Ensuring that children spend time with fathers after divorce

Feb 27, 2018 | Family Law

More than 40 percent of first marriages end in divorce. This means a lot of children end up caught in the middle. Parents in New Jersey may need to be particularly careful to ensure that after divorce, a child is still able to maintain a relationship with the father.

They should keep in mind that mediocre parenting is better than no parent at all. This means that even when one parent disapproves of the other’s parenting skills, as long as the child’s well-being is not at risk because of issues such as abuse, neglect or addiction, both parents should have access to the child.

It may be necessary for both parents to make sacrifices for this to happen. For example, when one mother moved 80 miles from her child’s father and did not have a car, the father had to expend additional effort to keep up visitation. The mother later decided to move nearer the father in order to better facilitate the relationship between her son and her former spouse. However, this meant moving out of the house she owned and paying rent on an apartment. Ultimately, she felt their child benefited from this arrangement even though he had to leave friends behind in the move.

In some cases, a relocation of this nature may require a visit to court if it affects the custody and visitation arrangement. The court always focuses on the best interests of the child, and this means that in some cases, the parents may be inconvenienced if a judge feels a situation does not suit a child’s needs. While it is usually best if parents can negotiate custody and visitation agreements on their own instead of turning to litigation, sometimes this is not possible. In many such cases, their respective attorneys can take the lead.