Colorado Law Blog

Pets, children and custody: Keeping your kids happy

On behalf of Pearson & Paris, P.C. posted in Family Law on Friday, October 11, 2019.

Going through a divorce is difficult, especially if you have children and pets. One of the hardest things to decide on will be how your children split their time between your homes. You may also need to decide who can take care of your pets and if they should be in the same home with your children.

With children and pets, custody is different. Children share time with each parent, in most cases. However, pets are treated more like assets. That's why you and your spouse may want to sit down and talk about setting up an arrangement for your pets outside of the courtroom. Ask yourselves if you want to have your pets go from one home to the other with your children (particularly if your pets are well-bonded with the kids) or if you want to have one of you keep them in your home specifically.

Help children of divorce adjust with more control

On behalf of Pearson & Paris, P.C. on Tuesday, October 1, 2019.

As an adult, you think that a divorce is hard. It's emotional and frustrating. Imagine how your children must feel, if you're having difficulty coping as an adult. Children who are going through the divorce of their parents sometimes have a difficult time adjusting. It can be hard to cope with living in a new home and getting used to a new schedule.

That's why parents play an important role in helping their children adjust to a divorce and the changes that come with it. From discussing the divorce in an age-appropriate manner to helping their children feel they're retaining some control, it's possible for parents to step in and make the children feel more comfortable.

Post-decree modifications can be a response to hidden assets

On behalf of Pearson & Paris, P.C. posted in Family Law on Wednesday, September 25, 2019.

After you go through a divorce, you may think that the worst is over. You don't believe that there is anything else that you'd change, and you feel confident that everything was done by the book.

Later, you find out that your ex-spouse hid assets during the divorce. As a result, you believe that you should be entitled to some of them. What should you do?

How can you tell your adult children you're divorcing?

On behalf of Pearson & Paris, P.C. posted in Family Law on Friday, September 13, 2019.

When you're considering a divorce, you may not be worrying about your adult children. After all, they're old enough to be out of your home, and your divorce, in your mind, won't have a significant impact on them. It won't impact their home lives and is unlikely to cause them any strife from day to day.

Interestingly, though, adult children can still struggle with the idea of their parents divorcing. The reality that their parents are divorcing could make them question their relationships and even their ideas about what makes a good marriage. So, how can you break the news in a way that is going to be the gentlest?

Help your kids adjust to divorce with these 3 tips

On behalf of Pearson & Paris, P.C. on Tuesday, September 3, 2019.

Children are resilient, but that doesn't mean that they won't have some trouble transitioning when their parents divorce. Custody transitions seem relatively straightforward, but the truth is that they are not.

Children deal with a number of issues when parents divorce including:

Adjusting to living with only one parent at a time
Adjusting to a new home environment
Spending time away from pets or siblings, depending on the situation
Having their routines disrupted
Getting to know new schools or programs

How do I decide whether to file for divorce?

On behalf of Pearson & Paris, P.C. on Saturday, August 31, 2019.

Deciding to file for a divorce is one of the most impactful decisions that you will make in your life. It's not a decision to be taken lightly. Many people who are unhappy in their marriage spend months or even years dwelling over the possibility of divorce before taking action. It's important to weigh the struggles in your marriage with the benefits of being a family unit before taking action.

There are likely to be many reasons why you are hesitant to file for a divorce, even when times are tough. You may not want your child to grow up in a broken home, for example. Likely, you are also concerned about the way in which a divorce could affect you financially. The following are some key things to consider when deciding whether to file for a divorce.

How can you cope with divorce stress?

On behalf of Pearson & Paris, P.C. posted in Family Law on Thursday, August 29, 2019.

Going through a divorce isn't always devastating, but even if you're happy with the idea of a divorce, it still has an impact on your life. You will have good days and bad days. You may have days where there is financial strain and days where everything works out splendidly.

Of everything you can do during your divorce, one of the best things to achieve is balancing your emotions. Keeping stress levels low and getting focused on the best possible outcome during your divorce will be beneficial in the long term.

Can my marriage end in an annulment?

On behalf of Pearson & Paris, P.C. posted in Family Law on Wednesday, August 14, 2019.

There are times when a divorce is not actually the correct way to end a marriage. Sometimes, a better option is an annulment. Annulments are interesting because unlike divorces, they completely cancel a marriage. They make it as if you've never been married at all.

While a divorce ends a legal marriage, an annulment may end a marriage that was not legal or one that was based on fraud or other misunderstandings, as an example. Essentially, it makes it so the marriage was never valid.

What are a child's best interests?

On behalf of Pearson & Paris, P.C. on Tuesday, July 30, 2019.

When child custody cases are discussed, the term you'll hear over and over again is that any decision has to be in your child's best interests. What's important for you to understand is exactly what that means.

The best interests of a child do not necessarily mean sending a child to live with a wealthier parent or asking a parent to stay home to give them more time. Instead, the goal is to make sure that any decisions made for the child are going to help keep them healthy and happy, to provide a good education and to make sure they're well cared for.

How do you divide a child's belongings in divorce?

On behalf of Pearson & Paris, P.C. posted in Family Law on Tuesday, July 30, 2019.

When you have children, it can be difficult to decide on how to divide your property. Things that you might not normally worry about, like splitting up furniture, suddenly becomes a bigger problem when it's your child's bedroom set, and you're already concerned about finances following a divorce.

For people in this situation, it can be difficult to know which furniture should go where, but a good rule is to have the furniture go to the child's primary residence. For example, if you will have your child through the week, then it makes sense to keep the bedroom set in your home.