When you decided to divorce your spouse, you knew that they would want you to stay local. You have an excellent opportunity to take a job in another state, though, and you want to be able to take your children, too.
You believe that they’ll have a better education and experience where you’re going. You have free daycare at your new office and will be earning more than you ever made when you were married.
For these reasons, you feel it’s obvious that moving with your children is in their best interests, but is it?
Moving away with children after divorce
Moving away with your kids isn’t always the right option after a divorce. You will need to negotiate with your spouse and discuss if the move is really what’s best for them. For example, if your children have many friends and family members in this local area, then it may not be suitable to relocate them somewhere where they have no relatives other than you.
On the other hand, if the schooling is much better, the other parent can’t provide around-the-clock care and you have options that make working and providing for your children easier, moving with them might be a better option.
It’s easier to move within the state or within a few hours of the other parent than it is to move a great distance. This is something else to keep in mind, because you will need to figure out how to get your children to custody dates and determine when the other parent will get to have time with them. For some people, virtual visitation combined with longer visits on school holidays or breaks is enough. For others, more regular visits with flights a few times a month or meetups between states on weekends will be essential.
This is sometimes a complicated issue, but you should be thorough about working through it with the other parent and obtaining the most positive outcome you can. Distance can make relationships challenging, so you will both want to agree to do what will be best for your children in the long term.