Denver Colorado Family Law Blog

The needs of families are as unique as the circumstances and individuals involved. Nonetheless, parenting arrangements generally fall into the format of shuttling kids between the parents’ homes. Some parents favor keeping the kids in one home during the school week and the other on weekends. Another plan splits up the time in blocks of days. Those parents who live in different states may have the kids on certain alternating holidays and summers.

One plan that has gotten a lot of attention recently is the concept of nesting or bird nesting. Instead of the children moving, the premise of nesting is to keep the kids in the family home while the parents rotate in and out at prearranged times. The parents may even share a second residence they stay in when not on parent duty.

Living with a spouse who is battling addiction can be heartbreaking. The disease may rob them of reason, compassion and relationships with loved ones, including children. This one time soul mate is now someone who cannot be trusted to go buy groceries, pick up the kids or help support the family.

According to a recent survey on drug use and health, 24.6 million Americans are involved in a marriage where one spouse has substance abuse issues. Living with someone who is fighting alcoholism, drug addiction or some other form of addiction can leave a spouse feeling frustrated, overwhelmed and conflicted. The marriage is supposed to be until death do us part, yet a spouse's destructive tendencies are a danger to the family and themselves.

Divorce is hard. Let’s face it, no one sets out to end their marriage. We enter it with the idea what it will last forever, but the reality is that sometimes that simply isn’t feasible. People grow apart, lives and goals change. Any divorce is difficult, but ending a marriage that has children can cause create feelings of fear, consternation and concern: How will the kids take it? Is there a right and a wrong way to tell them? Have I, as a parent, inadvertently set them up for a lifetime of sadness and loss?

Halloween has just passed, so the holiday season is now upon us. Divorced or separated spouses understand that it will be a time of challenging logistics as kids are shuttled between homes. Sometimes it can mean that one parent will attend extended family gatherings minus the kids. On the other hand, the parents may even choose to spend the holiday together, which can be hard if they had an acrimonious divorce.

Below are some thoughts adapted from experts on how to make this holiday experience better for all involved, particularly if the divorce was a difficult one.