A time-sharing dispute can be a very difficult time. You find yourself fighting with somebody who was once a partner, over time with your children. You may feel angry, wronged, or betrayed. You may even feel anxious or frightened about sharing the children. However, you are not powerless. There are some simple actions you can take to ensure a better outcome for you and the children.
First, you need to come to some simple understandings. The children are not yours. They are not your partners. They are individual people, with their own rights. One of those rights is a good relationship with both parents. You have a duty to them to foster that relationship. If you find yourself thinking, “Why do I have to share my children?” you are going to need to remind yourself that they are more than that.
Second, you need to remember that you will be working with your ex-partner until the last child turns 18 and graduates high school. For some cases, it could be just a few years, but for others it could be nearly two decades. The better you can get along and work with them, the happier you all will be. I know — your ex-partner is not who they were before. Whether they’re not reasonable or they make you so angry, it doesn’t matter. They’re in your life to stay. Do your best to work together, whether they strive to or not.
Third, you need to protect yourself. Lock down your social media. Your ex-partner doesn’t need to see what you post. Nobody who is friendly with your ex partner, needs to see what you post. If you would be uncomfortable with the Court looking at something you posted, don’t post it. It’s not worth it.
If possible, all communication with your ex partner should be via text. This creates a good record of what was said. It also gives you a major benefit — time to think. On a phone call, you might get angry and say something that can be used against you. If you’re communicating via text, you have the opportunity to breathe and think before you send a message that you can’t take back.
If you’re feeling upset, before you send a text, ask yourself three questions:
1. How will this look if it is read out loud in court?
2. How would I feel if I received this text from my ex-partner?
3. How can these two factors hurt me?
Finally, remember that a time sharing case is a complicated legal case. If at all possible, you should retain an attorney to represent you. Please contact The Florida Legal Advocacy Group, P.A. at (352) 732-8030 if you need assistance with this or any other Family Law matter.