If you’re in the middle of a stressful divorce in California, you might be thinking about taking a long, relaxing vacation. You might even think about bringing your kids along so they can join in on the fun. However, if you want to take your kids on vacation, it’s best to wait until after your divorce is finalized.
Why shouldn’t you take your kids on vacation during a divorce?
Before you go on vacation, talk to your family law attorney. Some states make it illegal for parents to leave the country with their children during a child custody battle. If you go on vacation with your children, your estranged spouse might accuse you of trying to kidnap your children or flee the area.
Additionally, you might have already signed a custody plan that forbids you from leaving with your children. Before you leave, review any documents that you might have signed to ensure that you’re not breaking the law. Otherwise, you might lose your child custody battle.
It’s also important to consider how your children feel during this time. You might want to get away from your estranged spouse, but your children have a different relationship with this person. If you take them on vacation, they might feel stressed or anxious from the separation. Most children want to stay with both parents during a divorce trial to maintain some semblance of normalcy.
Ultimately, you might be able to travel by yourself during this time. However, you should still talk to an attorney to make sure that you’re not breaking the law or endangering your custody case in any way. You might want to wait until the case is over before you start traveling again.
How can you fight for child custody?
When you and your spouse get divorced, everything will change between you and your children. If you get joint custody, they’ll spend half their lives at their other parent’s house. If you get full custody, you’ll become a single parent. And if you don’t win custody, you’ll have to fight for visitation rights. An attorney could help you fight for you and your children’s best interests.