The phrase “Until death do we part” does not have the same meaning as it once did.

Mainly because, in our generation, marriages and relationships are ending well before death! On average, marriages lasting more than 7 years have become rare.

When these marriages and relationships come to an end, it can feel like a never ending maze full of anger, fear,  and confusing questions, regarding  issues such as:

• Custody and access of children
• Parent-child alienation and realistic estrangement
• Child support
• Spousal support
• Property division

Just to name a few.

And to add to the confusion, there may be concerns about what is best for the children of the relationship.  To assist with this difficult issue, The Department of Justice Canada has created a document called “A Guide to Parenting Arrangements After Separation and Divorce: How to Put Your Children First”.

Some examples of topics in the document include:

¨  What your children may be feeling

¨  What might be the best parenting arrangements

¨  Options for developing a parenting arrangement

¨  Special issues such as moving away or new relationships

¨  Resources such as how children act at different ages and stages and;

¨  Email etiquette for separated parents

If you would like to access the document, please feel free to go to the following Department of Justice Canada link http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/fl-df/parent/mp-fdp/En-Parenting_Guide.pdf  to read and learn more about any of the above topics.

Contact us anytime at SMP Law to help SiMPlify your legal matter at 905-565-9494 or email info@smplaw.ca if you have any questions or would like to book an appointment to meet and discuss your situation and how we can help.