Co-Parenting

  • Co-Parenting Apps are Essential

    ByRory Parnell Hours

      In 2024, there are thousands of scheduling apps. Whether it is a Gmail calendar, Outlook planner, or an old fashion daily agenda, keeping track of multiple schedules can be extremely difficult. Coordinating children’s schedules are difficult when your married or living with your partner. Managing those schedules is even more difficult in divorce and separate parenting even if the parties get along. The necessary coordination is even more exacerbated when the parties do not get along. Even in the best scenarios, communication can be strained between parents. After all, they did break-up or get divorced. A common refrain that we hear from clients or opposing parties is “my spouse/co-parent didn’t tell me” about the teacher’s meeting, soccer practice, friend’s birthday party, etc. Another common…

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    After Co-Parenting Ends

    ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices Hours

    This blog has frequently discussed the value of good co-parenting. A common problem many couples face following a divorce is how to parent together in different homes. In general, most cases involving parenting time or decisions invokes New Hampshire’s “best interest of the child” legal standard. This particular legal phrase is frequently found in RSA 461-A, the main statute covering the legal rights and responsibilities for parents. While this legal standard may seem “squishy” to some, the flexibility it provides the field of Family Law helps to ensure that children are properly protected when parents disagree about what is best for their children.Frequently, co-parents attempt to take their spouse to Court for contempt for failure to follow the parenting plan. A New Hampshire parenting plan…

  • COVID-19 Parenting Orders and Modifications

    ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices Hours

    COVID-19 continues to present many challenges to New Hampshire and its families. With the Governor’s directive limiting gathering significantly, closing schools, and asking many people to work from home, families have been inundated with concerns about their current parenting orders or obtaining new ones.Please note that this article should not be read for anyone person’s particular situation or be interpreted as legal advice. Everyone’s situation is different, and if you have legal concerns regarding the interpretation or modification of a parenting plan, you should speak with one the family law attorneys at Parnell, Michels & McKay.NH RSA 461-A:6 sets the “best interest of the child” legal standard for drafting or modifying a parenting plan. The best interest of the child is determined by up to…

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    Closing of Supervised Visitation Centers Complicates Contested Parenting Cases

    ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices Hours

    The Greater Nashua Supervised Visitation Center is expecting to close its doors at the end of the year due to a lack of federal funding. This closure further reduces the options available to parents needing supervision of their parenting time. Since the 2014 closing of the Manchester YWCA supervision center, only a handful of supervised visitation centers remain in New Hampshire. In 2016, Focus on Families opened in Manchester, filling part of the void. However, due to the limited hours each of the centers offer for supervision services, there is often more cases needing supervision than time available to supervise. With the closing of the Greater Nashua Supervised Visitation Center, the shortage of available supervision will only increase. Supervised visitation centers serve an important role…

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    Co-Parenting Dos and Don’ts

    ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices Hours

    Several months ago, this blog discussed the value of good co-parenting. All too often, the media plagues its consumers with disheartening narratives like the vindictive ex-wife or the deadbeat dad. Unquestionably, Family Law is a field bursting with deep-seated emotions. The most important thing for any parent is their child. Parents want to make sure their kids are safe and secure, both financially and physically. Parents want to ensure their children grow up healthy, happy, and successful. They want a better life for their children. In fact, what is often lost in the media’s tropes are the impact such narratives have on children. These tropes can arise from toxic co-parenting. A consistent and constant problem in a number of cases before New Hampshire’s Family Courts…

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    Co-Parenting: Sacrificing Your Own Desires for the Betterment of your Child

    ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices Hours

    Family Law is arguably the legal profession’s most volatile field. Certainly, there are a number of other fields that could vie for this claim. Intellectual Property law is in constant flux, there is often palpable tension at Real Estate closings, and in Criminal Law, individual freedom often hangs in the balance. However, it is in the realm of Family Law that those with deep emotional hurt must plot out the remaining years of those who are most important to them: their children. All too often, individuals are blinded by their disgust and anger with their ex-partners to properly address co-parenting. Are there times when a parent effectively has chosen to alienate themselves from their child? Unfortunately, that answer is sometimes yes, but a significant majority…

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    Co-Parenting Tips for the Holidays

    ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices Hours

    Lisa Garbardi, Ph.D., is a mental health specialist that deals with difficulties like co-parenting after a divorce. She wrote an exceptional article comparing co-parenting over the holidays to Charles Dickens story, A Christmas Carol. She speaks about the bitterness that can come with the divorce process, especially through litigation, and how that affects a parent’s enjoyment of the holidays.Here is a link to the article. If you are going through your first (or twentieth) holiday after a divorce, it is worth the read. https://gabardi.com/2014/12/14/a-lesson-from-dickens-for-co-parents-this-holiday-season/ If you are interested in any of our legal services or have questions and concerns about issues you may have in your life, please contact us to learn more.

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    Modifying Your Parenting Plan In New Hampshire: Case Law v. Statutes

    ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices Hours

    In 2009, a decision was reached by the New Hampshire Supreme Court In the Matter of Muchmore and Jaycox. The decision was based on the modification of parenting plan statute, titled RSA 461-A:11. At the time Muchmore was decided, the statute provided that only a substantial change in circumstances could justify a change to the parenting plan. In Muchmore, the father petitioned for a change in the parenting plan because it was in the best interests, he posited, of the minor child. The lower Court decided that a modification was appropriate, and granted his request. Our New Hampshire Supreme Court reversed, citing a strict application of the statute. The result was frustration by legal minds around New Hampshire, as the bar to hurdle for a…