Annis Vercollone Blog

The suitcase is packed; the itinerary set. The only thing is that you’re not going on vacation. Instead, your children are actually headed to their other parents’ home, your ex. Separation and divorce are not easy for any party involved. Addressing and facilitating child custody is an additional element that can be emotionally painful, and does require extra energy and planning to make work.

Divorce can be complicated, especially when minor children are involved. Generally speaking, California law will favor joint legal and joint physical custody when both parents agree to that arrangement. Joint legal custody refers to when both parents have the rights and responsibilities to make decisions regarding their children’s health, education and welfare (i.e. choice of children’s doctors, schooling, extracurricular activities, etc.). Joint physical custody refers to the actual physical child sharing arrangement whereby the parents have equal, or somewhat equal, time with the children in their primary care.

If you're going through a divorce with children, breaking the news and communicating with them through the process can seem daunting. If you're having the very first initial discussion of the divorce, there are several key things that you must understand about how the discussion will go. No matter how gently or basically the news is delivered, your children will likely be confused, regardless of their age. The main emotional triggers for children during this time are change and loss, and this can lead to several emotions and behavioral changes.