Child Custody
How do we handle Child Custody?
Child custody issues can be the most difficult for couples to decide during a divorce. Everything from where the child will primarily live to who has sole or joint custody to what the child will eat for dinner can become an issue of contention.
In North Carolina, parents can create a voluntary written agreement without going to court if they are able to reach agreement on custody decisions. However, when parents are unable to agree, a judge will create the custody order.
The courts will consider a number of factors when deciding on custody arrangements, but all will be made based on what the judge determines is in the best interest of the child. The articles in this section will help you understand what is involved in creating a custody agreement, as well as how to navigate many of the issues that will likely arise during this process.
What Custody Rights Do Mothers Have In North Carolina?
There are plenty of rumors that circulate about child custody cases. Some people have heard that mothers have superior custody rights. Others have heard that fathers are always required to pay child support because mothers will always have primary custody. There can...
What Custody Rights Do Fathers Have In North Carolina?
For most families going through the divorce process, there’s no issue more important than custody. The parent-child relationship is so important that North Carolina, like many states, has laws that protect that special relationship and seek to ensure that each parent...
Your Comprehensive Guide To Child Custody In North Carolina
Statistics indicate that around 40% of children in the United States are raised in a single-parent home, or divide their time between two parents, or other family members. This is no small number. Divorce isn't an easy process for anyone, and often, especially for...
A Look At Common Custody Schedules In North Carolina
Creating and implementing a custody schedule is not necessarily an easy task. Nevertheless, it is one of the matters that couples confront during a divorce that is often most important to them. Most parents love their children tremendously. This means that both during...
Step-Mom v. Step-Dad – Co-Parenting with Your Ex’s New Spouse
Divorce means the end of a marriage, that's true. After a divorce, you'll no longer be husband and wife – but if you have children together, you'll always be mom and dad. That means that you'll be co-parenting together, even after your divorce is finalized and life...
Managing Custody with an Out-of-State Parent
Divorce isn’t easy. There’s no doubt about that. There’s also no question that of all the issues that a couple confronts during the divorce process, child custody is by far one of the most emotionally difficult and complex. This can be even more true when one parent...
Who Has Jurisdiction in Child Custody Matters?
You and your child’s parent has decided to go your separate ways and now you are contemplating filing a child custody action. Now what? After you have decided to file a child custody action, you must file a petition with the court. Once this petition is filed,...
Moving Without the Children: When It’s That Important
Whether you are a mother or a father, not having your children around every day can be overwhelming especially when you are used to seeing their smiling faces. To make matters worse, sometimes life happens at the speed of lightening that make you have to change your...
Moving Forward – Now What?
Change is never easy, however, change is inevitable and it is important that when change occurs that can affect not only your life, but your children lives and lives of other people, it is important to make the best decisions possible. In the case of child custody and...
If I Need to Relocate, What Do I Do to Change the Custody Arrangement in a Separation Agreement?
As if relocating isn’t stressful enough, the task can become even more overwhelming when you have a custody arrangement in place. Choosing where to relocate based on a separation agreement can be a daunting task. That is why, in these circumstances, you should seek...
How Do I Modify My Custody Order?
Though there are some people who hold on to their homes forever, in today’s times, and with the rapid changes of society, forever homes do not always exist. Perhaps you find another job in another location, or realize that you need to down size your home based on your...
Do I Have to Get Court Approval Before Relocating?
When you have a child with another person and there is a custody order in place, relocating may not the easiest thing for you to do. Whether it is moving that child away from the other parent, their school and friends, or other family members, relocating can prove...
If I Need to Relocate, How Do I Change a Court Ordered Custody Arrangement?
Relocating when having a child involved can be as easy or as hard as you and the other parent make it. And though a child custody order may be deemed as a challenge when relocating, it can actually be helpful to your situation and your child to have a sense of...
Can I Move Before Modifying Child Custody?
Let’s face it: not everyone stays in the same place indefinitely. Depending on your life and circumstances, you may decide to move due to a change of job, to be closer to family, or even for better living standards. As if relocating isn’t an overwhelming process,...
Handling Child Custody Issues in North Carolina
Without question, child custody issues can be some of the most complicated and emotionally charged issues that any couple will face during a divorce. This only makes sense. For most parents, there is nothing more important in their lives than their children, and it is...
Child Custody Consent Orders
Without question, the issue of child custody is often one of the most emotional issues that parents will have to face and resolve during the divorce process. Without question, most parents love their children and want the best for them. Determining exactly what that...
What is a Parenting Coordinator?
If nothing else, we love our children and will typically do anything for them. That includes, working with a co-parent that can be absolutely difficult to deal with. However, for the best interest of your child, it is important to understand the other parents needs...
The Holidays and Your Children
School days are upon us and everyone knows that as soon as school starts up all of the holidays begin. From Labor Day, to Christmas, every month throughout the rest of the year includes a holiday that most kids are out of school for and is with one parent or the...
What is a Qualified Medical Child Support Order?
At the Law Office of Dustin S. McCrary, family law is our passion. We spend each and every day working with families, and have the opportunity to see how much parents love their children on a daily basis. Without question, most parents want to support their children...
If I have joint custody, do I still have to pay child support?
The short answer is, yes. Although you may have joint custody of your child, child support is an obligation that one parent will inevitably have to pay, specifically so, if one parent makes a higher income than the other or if the child is one with one parent more...
Can I Move Before Modifying Child Custody?
Let’s face it: not everyone stays in the same place indefinitely. Depending on your life and circumstances, you may decide to move due to a change of job, to be closer to family, or even for better living standards. As if relocating isn’t an overwhelming process,...
How Do I Modify My Custody Order?
Though there are some people who hold on to their homes forever, in today’s times, and with the rapid changes of society, forever homes do not always exist. Perhaps you find another job in another location, or realize that you need to down size your home based on your...
How Can I Obtain Evidence in Another State to Present in Court?
When you are looking to relocate and you have a child custody arrangement in place, it is important that you modify the child custody order before moving. The judge will determine whether the relocation is in the best interest of the children and if you have reviewed...
How Can I Co-Parent When My Kids Live in Another State
When you have a parent that is relocating with your children, you may seem lost. The fear that comes with long distance co-parenting can be overwhelming and as if it isn’t hard enough to co-parent when a child lives relatively close, it is so much harder when your...
Moving Forward – Now What?
Change is never easy, however, change is inevitable and it is important that when change occurs that can affect not only your life, but your children lives and lives of other people, it is important to make the best decisions possible. In the case of child custody and...
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