Life in the military is challenging even in the best of conditions. On top of the regular stresses of marriage, service members have to handle the added pressures that this lifestyle brings to the union. Some will have to deal with divorce, which comes with unique challenges.
When children are involved in the split, special plans are necessary. These help to ensure that the kids are taken care of while still maintaining a relationship with both parents. Several things must come together to make this happen.
Family care plan
Anyone in the military who has children and doesn’t have a spouse or who has a spouse also serving must have a family care plan on file. This outlines who will take care of the children if the service member is unable to. There are two guardian designations in it–temporary and long term. The temporary guardian should be near the child, but this isn’t required of the long-term designee. Other information, including points related to medical history, insurance, dependent status and similar things are also put into the family care plan.
Visitation plan
The children need to know both parents. For people serving this country, challenges involve being deployed and having to move around when they get orders. This can make spending time with their children challenging.
One option that they might exercise is having virtual visits just to have contact with the kids between in-person ones. Video chats before bed or to help with homework is one example of what might be useful. If the child is near other family members of the service member, such as the kid’s grandparents, shifting some in-person visits to them might be feasible. Flexible parenting time can also be beneficial since this enables the child to see their parent whenever it is possible.
Other factors
When military members divorce and have children, they will still need to pay child support if they are ordered to do so. They might also have to carry the kids on their insurance policies. Ensuring that you remain in compliance prevents you from having to worry about legal matters stemming from being in contempt of a court order.
Any terms that are agreed upon related to child custody must be put in the written agreement. This ensures that both parents are on the same page and gives each one something to refer to if questions arise.
