Going into a divorce with three or more children in tow can feel especially intimidating. As a family, you have likely fine-tuned your domestic routine to allow for the many demands of children of different ages. Your children may all have different schools, social challenges, and ways of dealing with the divorce. In some cases, your children may not all be united on where they wish to live. It’s important to remember that these challenges are far from insurmountable. With some sensible and meticulous planning on your end, you may be pleasantly surprised at how well your large family rallies together as they go through this transition.
Child Custody
When parents divorce in New Hampshire, they need to hash out all their parental rights and responsibilities and come to a court-backed agreement on co-parenting the children.
Parental rights and responsibilities include custody and digging deeper into decision-making, residential responsibilities, and schedules. Since a parenting order is legally binding, if done carefully, you can preempt most issues you are likely to face as newly divorced co-parents.
With a large family, your negotiations should consider how you might maintain familiar routines as you separate and think carefully about how you might spend the holidays. As children get older, they typically have more input on which parent they live with, although ultimately, their wellbeing and not their preference will be the deciding factor for the court. Having extension conversations about these issues before you reach the courtroom will ensure a smoother process for everyone.
Child support
When parents separate, the court may order one parent to make payments to the other to go towards raising the child.
Child support payments are not voluntary, and parents who do not pay may be found in contempt of court and even given jail time. The amount of child support is calculated by a standard formula in New Hampshire. Parents with three or more children should be reassured that child support is relative to the number of children.
It would be wise for parents with big families to consider their costs carefully as their household income changes. Children’s needs can change over time, and it is wise to plan.
Contact our New Hampshire divorce attorneys
Whether you seek an amicable parenting agreement with your co-parent or face an urgent dispute concerning your children, the legal team at Tenn And Tenn, P.A. will carefully tailor their legal assistance to your family’s unique needs. Contact us today.