Plenty of people think that you can either focus on your career or on your family. There is a common misconception that you can devote yourself to both.
However, you can be a successful professional and also a devoted, loving parent. Balancing the demands of your job and your family requires careful planning, and flexibility from the people you love, as well as from your employer.
If you believe that divorce is on the horizon, you could feel like a focus on your career will leave you at a disadvantage during custody proceedings. Thankfully, your professional ambitions won’t necessarily limit your parental involvement.
Even busy parents can make time for their children
Co-parenting or shared custody arrangements require that each parent commit a certain amount of time to their kids every week or every month. You and your spouse can create truly customized arrangements that reflect your family’s specific needs.
Your custody schedule can factor in the sports practices for your older child and play rehearsal for your middle schooler. Your custody schedule should also reflect your work demands, travel and schedule. Provided that you and your ex can work together and adjust to unexpected work demands, neither of you will necessarily have to sacrifice your career ambition or earning potential.
If both parents work the same shift, you will have to reach an agreement about how to alternate parental responsibilities so that neither of you has to bear more of the responsibility than the other during the business day. Although you may have to make some minor sacrifices, like leaving work early to pick up your child if they get sick at school, good planning and the supportive cooperation with the other parent can make co-parenting accessible even for the busiest professional.
Family law judges often work with busy professionals
The judges presiding over the Texas family courts see parents in all sorts of situations every week. For the judge, the biggest focus is always what will be best for the children.
Your commitment not just to your career but to being present for your children makes you a role model and someone who can have a positive influence on them as they continue to grow. Learning about your parental rights and asserting them can go a long way toward helping you protect the relationship with your children in a divorce.
