Child Custody and the Coronavirus

 The sudden onset of the coronavirus has shaken us all. It has disrupted our lives, shattered the economy, and pushed us into the unknown where we’re forced to maintain some semblance of normalcy.

While most people have successfully made lifestyle adjustments to live with the pandemic, others are still struggling—especially those with child custody arrangements.

Most people worldwide are staying in self-quarantine and practicing social distancing. This entails separating themselves from anyone who isn’t their immediate family. But that gets a little tricky for parents that are separated or divorced and have shared child custody.

 

When parents find themselves violating the shared-custody agreement for the sake of maintaining quarantine, one thing’s for sure—the traditional family laws must adjust to the pandemic because we’re in unchartered legal territory.

If you’re in a similar situation and looking for some legal assistance from child custody lawyers for your peace of mind, here are a few tips to help you navigate the complicated situation in these tumultuous times.

Living with the Pandemic

With anxieties high, mobility restricted, and mental health on edge, it can be difficult to think that you can find a solution for your crisis amidst the dismay. However, one must try to rise above it and realize that the only way out of it is to work together to provide for the children’s best interests.

Find Common Ground

As businesses face closure and most companies adopt remote working models, some parents have more opportunities to spend time with their children. As such, it’s best to avoid gamesmanship, where one parent tries to overpower the other.

Your goal shouldn’t be deciding who gets to spend the most holidays with the child, but to highlight and address issues both parties face and come up with a new arrangement that’s mutually beneficial.

If it’s unsafe for the child to live with one parent on account of the coronavirus, the other must reassure them that any reduction in their parenting time will be made up for in the future when things settle down. In the meantime, you can encourage them to stay in touch with the children through non-physical contact, like phone calls and FaceTime.

Seek Help to Settle Disputes

Even if the parents agree to take reasonable steps to ensure that the child isn’t exposed to infected individuals unnecessarily due to custody tensions, they might still find themselves at a standstill.

This is where child custody lawyers step in. They encourage mediated agreements by providing a more objective record of the parents’ concerns, thoughts, circumstances, and issues. They also maintain an official record of it all so that a judge can use it to come up with a reasonable solution that accommodates both parties’ needs.

During the coronavirus crisis, it’s important to maintain a clear head because any custody decisions or choices parents make will factor into the revised custody agreement, which will eventually affect their children’s welfare. If you’re hostile, the judge will likely think you’re putting your own needs before the child’s. Hence, with these circumstances surrounding custody disputes, the best course of action is to cooperate with the assistance of a child custody lawyer.

 

If you’re in a similar situation and want to make the shared child custody amicable for all parties involved to maintain the child’s best interest, get in touch with a family law attorney at Marquez Law Offices.

They have a team of professional and experienced child support lawyers. Their child custody and visitation lawyers in Chico, CA, will give you the best legal counsel by keeping your interests in mind.

Find out more about them here.