Roanoke Legal Blog

Becoming a grandparent is an exciting moment. Many children develop special relationships with their grandparents, and enjoy spending time and keeping in touch with them. For some children, a visit to a grandparent's home feels like a special treat. Sometimes, a grandparent may become concerned that a Virginia child is not being properly cared for by his or her parents, and he or she may want to petition for legal custody in a court of law. 

There are many reasons why a grandparent may want to step in and take legal action on behalf of a grandchild he or she loves. Perhaps, a parent is struggling with addiction and the child is exposed to dangerous situations as a result. If a parent or another adult in the home is abusive, a child may be unsafe. If a parent cannot provide a safe and stable living situation for a child, a grandparent may want to take action to prevent a child from being removed from the home by the state or placed into foster care. 

Many of those who file for divorce have dependent children at the time. Having children can mean that you have greater responsibilities, and this can lead to disharmony or disagreement in your marriage. Children are affected by divorce differently. While the divorce experience is rarely a positive one for the children involved, the way that the parents handle the process can have a huge impact on how children are affected.

Teenagers, in particular, can be extremely sensitive to changes that happen in the family. If you are concerned about divorcing with teenagers, you may contemplate waiting for a few years until they are better adjusted to handling it. However, this may mean that your children will live in an unhappy and toxic household, which will also have a negative impact on them. The following is an overview of the ways in which divorce can affect teenagers so that you can make your own decision.

When couples decide to end their marriage, what once was a loving and exciting relationship can quickly devolve into a contentious and bitter battle.

However, even though negative feelings and raw emotions can surface, most people going through a divorce understand that working together - especially if they have children - will have the least impact financially, emotionally and physically.

Your children are out of school right now, so your goal is to finalize your divorce by the end of their summer break. Doing it now gives you the opportunity to separate your property and get a custody schedule put together when both you and your spouse have more time to adjust. This is also a good time to give your children a break (and time to adjust) before returning to school.

You and your spouse agreed that separating in the summer would be a good idea, since you may have to move to a new school district. Your hope is that finalizing your divorce during the time of the year when your children have less to do will make it easier when changes have to happen.