Divorce leads to a variety of challenging conversations and decisions. If couples share children, divorce has the potential to be far more complex. Parents have to find ways to share their parental rights and responsibilities, including time-sharing. If one of them is a military service member, that can also be a complicating factor that requires special consideration.
When service members with children divorce, they technically have the same basic rights as any other parents. The laws of the state in which they reside typically determine how the courts allocate parental rights and responsibilities. Parents always have the option of working cooperatively before going to court. They can establish their own time-sharing arrangements and put together a parenting plan together.
Separating parents can also ask the courts to determine what custody arrangements might be in the best interests of the children. When a parent is a service member, time-sharing can be a bit more complicated to address. What unique custody issue do service members need to consider?
There’s a need for multiple parenting schedules
Service members never know when they may have to travel. Specialized training could require that service members leave for weeks at a time. Deployments can last for months or years. Active military duty can prevent a parent from seeing their children in person.
Service members establishing schedules for the division of parenting time often need to have more than one basic schedule in place. They can establish arrangements for when the service member is nearby and able to actively share parenting time. They may need an alternate plan to use in scenarios involving deployments and intensive training.
The family may need to have arrangements for virtual visitation using computers or video calling features on cell phones. They may also need to schedule regular phone calls to ensure that a service member can regularly interact with and maintain their bond with their children.
It is natural for those actively serving in the military to worry about their parental rights when they divorce. Thankfully, the courts typically try to keep both parents involved, as their focus is what is in the best interests of the children.
Recognizing that the process of establishing a parenting plan can be a bit more complicated in military divorce scenarios can help people better prepare for such scenarios. It is possible for service members to establish time-sharing arrangements that help keep them close to their children after a divorce.