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Five Tips for Mothers When Adjusting Custody Arrangements for Moving Out of State With Your Child

Having partial custody of your child after a divorce is made easier when you have clear, agreed upon plans for situations like taking them to school and caring for them. But what happens when an unexpected hurdle is thrown across your path? Sometimes, life throws you a curveball, and you have to roll with the punches. For example, as a mom, what happens when you need to move out of state for work, a new marriage, or for any other reason with your child?

If you have primary custody of your child in Georgia, or even partial custody, how do you manage this kind of monumental location change? At Buckhead Family Law, we see these situations arise and help our clients proactively respond to them. Here are five useful tips for adjusting your custody arrangements when moving out of state with your child.

1. Make Sure to Communicate Clearly With Your Ex-Husband

No matter how solid or shaky your relationship is with your ex-husband, you need to openly communicate with him about all moving plans. He needs to know why you’re planning on moving, as well as when and where. This way, he cannot tell the court that you blindsided him when you’re trying to alter your current custody arrangements due to your move.

2. Be Prepared to End Up in Court

Working out custody arrangements in Georgia often ends up in the courtroom. If your ex-husband is upset about the situation, he may fight for primary custody or try to prevent you from moving. Even if he’s flexible about the whole thing and you stay on good terms, you may still need to make the new arrangements official with the court, so be prepared with your lawyer by your side.

Photo by cottonbro studio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/brown-cardboard-box-on-white-bed-4569338/

3. Ensure That Your Reasons Are Valid

Why are you moving? Yes, you’re aware that it’s due to your new spouse or your latest career move, but does your ex-husband understand the real reasons? You need to make it clear to him, as well as the court, that your reasons for moving are valid. This means gathering paperwork to present in court, reasons to explain to your ex-spouse, as well as every bit of evidence that you can get that shows just how vital this move is to you. Basically, you need to justify your actions and your reason for uprooting your child and taking them away from their other parent.

4. Set Up Travel Arrangements For Your Child

Whether the move is across multiple state lines or a single one, you’ll need to ensure that your child can easily travel the distance required to make it to their other parent’s home. In some cases, that necessitates a plane flight, in others, a simple car ride. You need to plan out in advance how the child is going to travel, as well as when they’ll make these trips. Having all of this set up beforehand will ensure that everything goes smoothly.

5. Remember That Your Child’s Opinion Matters

Typically, the courts don’t consider your child’s opinion regarding custody until they’re a teenager. However, their opinion regarding the move still matters, no matter how old they are. Make sure that they know why you’re moving and how life will be once you’re settled into your new home. They will no doubt be upset about leaving their friends; however, getting them involved in the move and making it clear that their thoughts matter can make the transition easier.

Photo by Vlada Karpovich: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-girl-lying-on-the-floor-7368200/

Need a Top-Rated Divorce Lawyer in Georgia to Help with Custody Arrangements?

Do you have primary custody of your child in Georgia and plan to move out of state? Do you and your former spouse need to make new custody plans so that you can both get your scheduled time with your children, despite living in different states? Do your custody arrangements need to change due to a major move? If you need to work out better custody arrangements in Georgia, then you need a good lawyer.

At Buckhead Family Law, our legal team works diligently to meet the needs of clients getting divorced in today’s tech driven world – this means taking everything online into consideration. One thing that hasn’t changed about divorce? It is still one of the most harrowing experiences someone can go through, and we understand that. That is why we always treat our clients with grace and compassion.

Need help? We are here to assist you as you begin the next chapter of your life while ensuring that all of the loose ends are tied up in the least complicated way. Schedule a consultation today by calling 404-390-0000.

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