Caring for a newborn can be an extremely challenging and exhausting task. No matter how loving and patient you may be, babies have a very high need level. This means the first months as a parent to a newborn are likely to be filled with stress, hormonal fluctuations, and complete exhaustion. Now add divorce into the mix – for any Oakland County parent it can seem like an insurmountable task! If you’re faced with this challenge, here are some things you should know…
Custody issues are going to be unique:
Obviously, when a couple with children gets divorced, they have to work out a custody schedule that’s fair and keeps the children’s best interests front and center. But what about couples with babies? Caring for a baby is a whole different ball game to caring for older children. Older kids are usually in school for most of the day, so there’s less daycare time that has to be managed for a working parent. Whether you life in Bloomfield Hills, Farmington, Novi or Walled Lake, this is tough stuff.
For a parent with a baby, however, care and oversight need to be pretty much constant when it’s a baby, which means a lot of daycare time for working parents. Sometimes this means that the stay-at-home parent (if there is one) may get more time with the baby than the working parent. Often, a judge will agree to a custody agreement that allows one parent more time with the baby, as that person has more time available to provide the kind of one-on-one care a baby needs.
Dads may find they lose out if they’re not proactive!
In many cases, due to the stay-at-home versus working parent dynamic, judges will allow custody agreements that may seem bent in favor of the non-working parent. In most cases, this is the mother, with the father losing out on time with their newborn simply because they work.
Oakland County dads need to be proactive in pursuing equitable custody splits or fairer parenting time schedules if they don’t want to lose out! Moms are considered to be the traditional caregivers of newborn babies, and so dads who work to provide for their children will need to discuss their concerns with their attorneys to make sure that they don’t lose the chance to watch their children grow up.
Talk to your attorney about your divorce and parenting concerns.
Divorce, just like parenting, is extremely challenging. In order to make sure your interests are properly represented during your divorce, you’re going to need help from one of Oakland County’s most highly rated family law firms, with experienced divorce attorneys who are on call 24/7. If that sounds like what you need, then call (248) 479-6200 right now to discuss your case with someone who can help. Evening and weekend appointments are available in our Farmington Hills office.
Many of us parents here in southeast Michigan are on the go all day and into the evening, so we know how challenging it can be to juggle home life and a career. Challenging is not the same as impossible though, so join us next time for some other tips to consider when getting divorced after the birth of a baby.