While no divorce is ever an easy path to walk, it can become much more emotionally intense when children are involved. The process of determining child custody and parenting time here in Minnesota or in any other state is rarely cut and dry, as a potentially evolving law in a neighboring state demonstrates.
A new bill called the Shared Parenting Bill proposes a set of guidelines judges can use in divorce cases to determine appropriate child custody and visitation rights. Some of these guidelines include factors such as housing, parental stability, suitability and more. While attempts to modify the law have been met with resistance in recent years, advocates of the bill examined child custody laws in other states to get a sense of the various guidelines put forth elsewhere. They feel that the additional research will strengthen the potential the bill has to pass through both arms of legislation this time around.
Minnesota parents who are considering a divorce, or who are currently involved in a child custody arrangement with their former spouses, should see this proposal as an example of the fluid nature of laws governing child custody. While it's seldom if ever possible to know how the laws or guidelines will change over time, the assistance of an experienced attorney can be of great help in staying on top of the numerous factors -- cultural and religious considerations, age and sex of the child, schooling and community -- that can influence a child custody decision or visitation arrangement. In addition, an attorney can assist in arranging alternate means of visitation, such as virtual visitation, if a custody case sways in one particular direction.
Determining child custody and visitation rights can be a challenging process. However, with the help of an attorney, parents can pursue a reasonable arrangement that uses all of the determining factors in the law to one's advantage.
Source: capjournal.com, "Lawmakers set to introduce child custody bill," Joel Ebert, Jan. 21, 2014
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