Often, when people lose their jobs they worry that they won’t be able to see their children. They worry that the other parent will try to keep custody more because they are unable to provide for their kids.
Job instability is nothing new. There are people all around the country who have struggled to get, keep, and maintain a job. Losing your job doesn’t make you a bad parent. In fact, it helps show your children resiliency and may even be helpful for the other parent while you try to find a new place to work.
If you lose your job, ask to modify your custody schedule
If both you and your ex-partner worked, your custody schedule might have been difficult. Maybe they had to rush to and from your children’s school or they had little downtime for themselves.
Since you have the time to see your children more, ask for it. Explain that you’re looking for work, but until you start your new job, you’d like to see your children and help with their care. If you previously needed to pay for child care during the week, this may be an opportunity to help both of you save on that expense until you’re able to get back to work.
In the meantime, it is important to start looking for work and to put an effort into maintaining a positive outlook. You may also want to reduce what you pay in child support by seeking a modification.
This is a great time to discuss what kind of schedule may work better in the future for your custody plan, too, since you may have the opportunity to present a new schedule of availability to the employer who calls you back.
It’s true that losing your job could influence custody, but it doesn’t always have to be in a negative way. Being willing to do the work to find a new job shows that you’re able to work hard for the benefit of your children and are eager for employment. Spending this extra time with them, too, shows just how much you value them as a parent.
