Can I Spend Less Time With My Kids After a Divorce in Orlando?

Divorce comes with new possibilities, new opportunities, and new realities. For some parents, their children may play a more peripheral role in their lives after divorce. Often, parents are not happy when this happens. However, some might actually aim to spend less time with their children after their marriages end. How can you achieve this goal? Can a child custody attorney in Orlando help?

The Family Court Decides How Much Time You Will Spend With Your Children

You should know that although you may have certain preferences about parenting time, the family court makes the final decisions on child custody. When making these decisions, the family court considers the best interests of the children. If the family court believes that it is in the child’s best interests to spend a considerable amount of time with you, it may be difficult or awkward to say no.

You Can Agree on a Parenting Schedule With Your Ex

If your ex would rather spend more time with your children and you would prefer to spend less time with them, you can both create an agreement on the matter. You might create these agreements during alternative dispute resolution (ADR). Examples of ADR include mediation, collaborative divorce, and arbitration. In fact, judges often order parents to attempt mediation before proceeding with child custody litigation.

As long as your ex agrees to take on more parenting responsibilities than you, there is nothing stopping you from presenting this type of arrangement to a judge. While a judge could reject the agreement if they feel it is not in the child’s best interests, they should also respect your autonomy as parents.

Judges would likely reject your plan to spend less time with the kids if this would endanger the children in some way. For example, your ex might have a habit of driving drunk, abusing your children, or neglecting them. In these situations, the judge might order you to take sole physical custody due to the threat posed by your ex.

Why Might a Parent Want to Spend Less Time With the Kids After Divorce?

Parents may step away from their child-raising duties for various reasons after divorce. However, a common explanation is work. A parent might have no other choice but to continue with their full-time job, especially if that job funds child support and alimony. If there is little time for parenting duties outside of work, the parent may make the difficult decision to accept a parenting schedule that gives them minimal time with the children.

Can a Child Custody Attorney in Orlando Help Me? 

A child custody attorney in Orlando may be able to help if you want to spend less time with your kids after your marriage ends. However, it is important to recognize that you have legal responsibilities as a parent, and these responsibilities may be difficult to evade. Discuss this subject in more detail with Steve Marsee, P.A.

Source:

 leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0000-0099/0039/Sections/0039.810.html