Many parents in Georgia have the difficult task of balancing their personal lives and their career aspirations. While some people are able to easily find a successful way to achieve this balance, other people discover that it is much more difficult to do so. 

If you are a parent whose work takes you away from home, your children and your family might not feel like they spend enough time with you, which can weaken family relationships and over time, destroy a marriage. 

If you have found yourself in this situation, it is common to worry about whether your commitment to a job and career will have a negative impact on your custody rights.

Courts Want What is Best for Children

When Georgia family law courts are tasked with making custody decisions, they focus on what is best for children. For many families, this means sharing time with children and shared custody. 

If a parent has an unpredictable work schedule or travels on a routine basis for work, it might not be possible to divide custody in this way. 

Consequently, a court will likely consider your work schedule when dividing parental rights by giving the other parent more parenting time. 

Decreased Parenting Time can Lead to More Support

If a court decides to award less parenting time to a parent with a hectic work schedule, it is likely that the parent will be required to pay more support. 

Rather than view this as an additional challenge, however, parents should consider this an opportunity for children to benefit from your success. 

Advice for Parents Facing this Situation

If you are a parent who is faced with the balance between child custody and commitment to a career, it helps to follow some important advice:

  • It is important for parents to remain flexible and willing to work with a former spouse. This helps to make sure that the other parent does the same for you when career commitments arise suddenly. While it can be challenging to maintain a positive relationship with your former spouse, this is often the best way to make sure you continue to spend time with your children.
  • It is impossible to make up for lost time, but you should do your best to attend events related to the child whenever you possibly can. This means attending the child’s games and teacher conferences. While learning about these dates, you should avoid placing your former spouse in the position of a secretary. Instead, you should not assume the other parent will go out of their way to update you about these events.
  • Persevere. It can be an emotional challenge to adjust to the numerous changes accompanying a divorce. Getting frustrated now might result in complications with parenting time that you could be facing for years to come. 

Speak with an Experienced Divorce Lawyer

There are a number of complex factors that influence a court’s ultimate custody decision. If you need the assistance of an experienced family law attorney, do not hesitate to contact Vayman & Teitelbaum, PC today.