Columbia Family Divorce Law Blog

If you’re a parent who is preparing for divorce, there are several Washington laws that may have significant impact on your child custody agreement. For instance, have you thought about relocation?

Divorce is a difficult and emotionally challenging process. Even when two parties are amicable, it is not easy to resolve disputes and come to a reasonable agreement.

In many ways, military families are just like civilian families. In some ways, however, service members, their spouses and children often face particular challenges that arise because of deployment, relocation or other military issues that the average civilian family in Washington or elsewhere may not encounter.

After the divorce, maybe you want to move away to pursue your education — and the demands on your resources prevent you from bringing your kids along. Or, maybe your ex-spouse wants to relocate somewhere with the kids, and you don’t want to deny them the obvious benefits and opportunities they can obtain from the move.

Many Washington households include family members who are in the military. Just as in non-military families, many of those marriages don’t last.

Grandparents play an important role in the lives of their grandchildren. When parents go through a divorce, it can affect this important relationship, negatively impacting a bond that is beneficial for the kids.

There are any number of reasons that a Washington married couple may choose to sell their home and move elsewhere. However, if the spouses involved are preparing for divorce, the whole topic of relocation may create challenges regarding child custody proceedings.

By the time that some Washington couples decide to divorce, they may have a very contentious relationship. It might seem that they cannot speak to each other without arguing and it might seem that the only path to divorce is through a lengthy and contested trial.

A common reason why some Washington couples find themselves in family court working through a divorce is an acknowledged lack of communication. Perhaps it’s too much to expect that a couple who could not get along during marriage will suddenly find the magic formula to be able to discuss and resolve areas of disagreement, but that’s exactly what a collaborative divorce requires.

It is often challenging and difficult to balance family life and military service. U.S. military service members in Washington and beyond are not alone in the sacrifices they make because their spouses and children play key roles toward their successful service as well.