Phoenix Arizona Family Law Blog

Summer is a season of fun and freedom for families in Arizona. However, for children of divorced parents, summer can be a time of stress and anxiety. The majority of divorced parents these days are choosing co-parenting as the preferred child custody arrangement. Two-household summers can be difficult, but good co-parenting can help alleviate some of the stress that children experience during this time of year.

Cooperation and communication may be the most important factors when it comes to successful co-parenting or shared parenting. Children will naturally feel more secure and relaxed when parents are on the same page. Unexpected things will always happen, and when they do, it is important to communicate with the other parent. It can also be helpful to seek professional help such as counseling or mediation to address those areas where agreements are elusive.

Marriages in Arizona end for countless reasons, but separating from a spouse is rarely easy. Divorce is a lot like death, in that someone close and familiar is lost. Like a death, there may be a grieving period following a divorce. Also like death, in order to get over it, it is important to learn to let it go.

Yes, a divorce can be traumatic and hard to get over, but hanging on to the past will only bring disappointment in the future and can prevent a person from beginning a new life. Staying attached to a past outcome or a person will cause suffering and will not change the events that have occurred. Peace can never be obtained by living in regret over what has happened in the past. Do not resist what is.

When parents split up, the process can quickly get very complicated. Parents only want the best for their children, so things like child support and custody arrangements are usually high on the list of priorities. Each state has differing guidelines regarding which parent pays child support and the amount to be paid. There's never a one-size-fits-all situation so, when appropriate, courts in Arizona are allowed deviate from these guidelines. Here are a few things to consider when going through this experience.

To calculate child support, courts take into account the number of children, each parent's income as well as how much time each parent spends with the children. However, circumstances may change a few months or years down the road. It is important to keep in mind that child support can be modified, and parents are allowed to return to court if child support needs to be amended.

In previous decades, fathers who wanted custody of their children after a divorce were out of luck. Traditionally, custody of children was typically awarded to the mother. In recent years, however, courts in Arizona and across the nation have encouraged more shared parenting child custody agreements.

When it comes to child custody, there are basically two types: physical custody and legal custody. Those who are granted legal custody have control over decisions that affect a child's well-being, like health care and education. Physical or residential custody focuses on where the child resides. These days, courts begin with a presumption of joint legal custody between parents, but courts are becoming more open to shared physical custody arrangements.