As a parent who runs a business, you and your spouse have always been on the same page about business travel. You would do most of the business travel for your company, and your spouse would stay home with your child.
Now that you’re getting a divorce, something that seems to keep coming up is how you were never home. Your spouse keeps pointing out that you were away on travel often and that you’ll continue traveling now and into the future because of the business you’re operating.
If you want to protect your rights as a parent and get the most custody, now is a good time to start building a case showing that you can be present and how you’ll address that travel in the future. Although you may have thought that your spouse agreed with you traveling, those behaviors could come back to hurt you in your custody case now.
Show how you can back down on travel or bring your child with you
If there is one excellent way for a child to learn, it’s through traveling. However, if you have limited custody or a custody plan that doesn’t allow your child to travel with you, what will you do? Can you back off traveling for business, or can you start working remotely? What can you do to be present for your child or to give them the most opportunities while still traveling? This is something to discuss with your attorney and the judge.
Don’t be afraid to discuss your past arrangements
Don’t be afraid to speak up and explain why you did the business travel instead of your spouse if that continues to come up. Explain that it was an agreement you made or show that you had offered the opportunity for your spouse and child to come on trips. You want to show how reasonable you are and how you want to include your family in the things you do for yourself and for them.
Your attorney can help you build a strong case, so you can do your best to get the custody schedule you want.
