Kate Butler, family lawyer Northampton
I’m often asked if it’s true that the wife always ends up with the children when a couple divorce. In fact that isn’t always the case. The arrangements for the children need to be made in their best interests and obviously children have two parents. Whether the children are going to spend most of their time with one parent or the other very often relies on things like practical arrangements, work commitments, shift patterns, children’s schooling and other practical things like geography, where is everybody going to live?
It’s important to remember that children do have two parents and they need to spend time with both of them. There is now a presumption of shared parenting and if the matter goes to Court that the children should be seeing both of their parents as much as possible. So try to come up with a pattern that actually works rather than concentrating too much on what you call that arrangement, whether they are ‘living with’ you or whether they are just spending time with you. It’s really important to focus on what works the best for your family.
So if you are a parent and you are worried about the arrangements for your children in your separation or divorce please give us a call. We will give you a half hour consultation on the telephone for free and we will see if we can help you out.