When you get divorced, you may want to move out of the local area. You may currently be in a suburb of a small town or city, but that may not be where you want to be. You may love to be within the busy city itself or prefer to go to a more rural home.
There are a few things to keep in mind if you have children who are also part of your divorce before you decide to take the plunge as the custodial parent. Here’s what you need to know.
What is the reason for the move?
If you’re considering moving to a location that is considerably farther away, you’ll want to carefully examine your reasons for doing so. Especially if you and your co-parent don’t always see eye to eye, a judge will carefully weigh the motivation behind the move. Examples of reasons seen in a more positive light include:
- To be closer to extended family
- To seek a better job, housing or educational opportunity
- To move for another reason but regular visitation would still be possible
More “bad faith” reasons might include moving out of revenge or to restrict your ex’s access to your children.
Consider the best interests of your child
As with many considerations involved in child custody, ultimately parents should make decisions based off of what is in the best interests of your child. For example, if your child is currently taking dance classes, actively participating in after-school activities and staying busy most days, it may be more reasonable to keep them closer to their activities in the city rather than moving them out to the suburbs where they’ll spend more time in transit between activities.
While it may seem like the home you choose will only matter inside, location matters too. Be sure to consider where your child would thrive before you plan to put down roots somewhere that they may have trouble adjusting to.