As we noted in prior posts, more divorces are initiated in January than any other month in the year. Because of this, there is ample information about how to handle the transition from a troubled marriage to being single again. This includes preparing for the divorce (with gathering documents and emotional supporters), explaining the split to children, and how to manage your finances. Practical information about divorces also center around finding ways to mitigate disputes and how to avoid fights about custody and child support.
However, these pieces commonly do not discuss what happens after the divorce decree is signed and the lawyers, mediators and evaluators go away. Parents may find it difficult to enforce an order, especially with regard to child support. According to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau survey, 14.4 million parents across the nation owed child support, which totaled $37.9 billion. A significant number of parents who owed such support had been denied parenting time, which suggests that the notion of “why should I pay support for a child I don’t see” is alive and well.
In these circumstances, it is helpful to know how what to do when post-decree problems arise. Depending on your order, you may required to consult a mediator in an attempt to resolve your issue before coming back to court. If parenting time is an issue, you may benefit from working through scenarios with calendaring software. If paying child support is a hardship, calculating software may be beneficial. Regardless of your issue, resolving post-decree issues can be less painful by using family law software.
Source: NY Times.com, “Software for sorting out child support,” Quentin Hardy
