There are many benefits to being a stay-at-home parent. For Colorado residents whose home lives have been undergoing some change due to a divorce, your main position as a parent could change drastically. In many marriages there is someone who stays at home to help raise the kids, at least for a while, and for those parents, finding their place in their new situation can be a mixture of terror and uncertainty.
Every household is different and thus there are many different relationships between parent and child. During the divorce process, child custody must be decided on and for the parent who mainly was at home, their personal assets and employment history may not boast the experience or stability of that of their counterpart. It is certainly not always the case that the working parent gets the custody they requested; however, it can help someone to know some potential ways in which they may be viewed regarding their custodial capabilities.
A factor that stay-at-home parents must deal with is the possible effects the new custody arrangement can have on their relationships with their children. In a recent source, one woman explained that while she had spent most of her days caring for her children, when they grew older, no matter the custody arrangement, they often didn’t recall all that their mother had done for them. What is commonly called the “thankless job” of working in home for your family is often something parents who have done so must accept as such. For parents in this position, their experience can sometimes cause difficulty moving forward from a divorce.
Coloradans who have found trouble trying to have their custody request met with support, working with a legal representative who specializes in this area could help. As hard and long of a job as being a stay-at-home parent is, the results of it are sometimes less than desired when received by those not in your family. Understanding how you can best put your request forth and the options you have as a parent in this situation are both helpful things to equip you in your decision endeavor.
Source: The Huffington Post, “Mothers without children,” Kate Baldwin, Nov. 26, 2012