Kansas City Divorce & Family Law Blog by Stange Law Firm, PC

For some Missouri residents, child custody and visitation is a concern. One issue that is frequently problematic for both parents is if one wants to relocate. This can impact various aspects of the child custody agreement.

With parental location, it is wise to adhere to the legal requirements regardless of the parent's perspective. When a parent wants to relocate, the other parent and anyone who is entitled to custody and visitation must be informed via certified mail. This must be done within 60 days of the relocation. The following information must be provided: the location of the new residence; the home telephone number; when the relocation will take place; a statement as to why the parent wants to relocate; and a proposal to adjust the custody and visitation schedule accordingly.

Some Missouri couples may want to consider a prenuptial agreement before they get married. While no one likes the idea of thinking about divorce before walking down the aisle, experts say there are three circumstances in particular in which a prenup is critical.

Blended families can create a number of complications. It is generally important to each spouse that their own children get their assets, but without a prenup in place, this may not be what happens. If one spouse dies, the assets may pass to the surviving spouse and then to that person's children, leaving the children of the spouse who died first with nothing. A prenup can also be important if one spouse is involved in a family business. Without a prenup, if the two divorce, the other spouse may be able to claim a portion of that business as joint property. This could even lead to the family losing the business altogether.

When parents with young kids in Missouri decide to divorce, some challenges will emerge. They may need to transition to a new coparenting relationship, no matter what disputes they went through before the separation. Coparenting requires good communication, but different approaches to custody might be necessary depending on the age of the children. When determining how parents should share custody, one situation does not have to remain the same forever. The parenting plan can even change to match the children's developmental stages.

In most cases, infants and young toddlers benefit from the stability of primary physical custody with one parent. However, this does not mean that the other parent can't have liberal visitation rights and a high level of involvement as the child grows. Regular quality time can help to build the parent-child bond regardless of the custody situation or the age of a child. Young kids who are a little older, on the other hand, may cope better with a more traditional shared custody arrangement. Because these kids do not understand time, however, it may be best to arrange regular calls or video chats.

Fathers in Missouri may be concerned about their future relationship with their children if they are going through a divorce. Many dads worry that family courts will be biased against them and in favor of the child's mother even though they are loving, active participants in family life. Historically, child-raising was seen as the natural province of mothers, and fathers were expected to be more distant. Many of these views date back to a time when two-income households were far less common. There was a general expectation that the mother would have primary custody of the children while the father would pay child support and visit the children from time to time.

However, all of this has changed. Fathers not only regularly receive joint custody but also primary residential custody of their children. Many family courts are eager to foster the involvement of the father in a child's life, especially as multiple studies have proven that children have better outcomes and happier lives when both parents are involved in their development. Of course, there are still some biases to be found from time to time. Some judges may still believe that fathers are less likely to be "natural" caregivers than mothers, but this approach conflicts with state law and public policy.