Happily Ever After Divorce Part 4 | Protecting Your Children

>> Hi, I'm Jared Oxendine with Oxendine Law, a Georgia divorce and family law attorney, and this is part four of your path to happily ever after divorce, where we share what people need to know most about divorce and life after it. The most expensive mistakes in a divorce aren't made with money, they're made with your children's well-being. There is no asset more precious and no area where emotions are more sensitive. You aren't just fighting for time, you're fighting for the right to shape who your children become. At Oxendine Law, we have a firm rule. Your children are not leverage, they are not messengers, and they are not your therapist. They are the only part of this marriage that is worth saving intact. The gut-wrenching fear of being a weakened parent or having your kids used as pawns can make you do things out of character. You feel guilty that you're breaking their home, so you overcompensate. Or, you're so angry at your spouse that you forget the kids are half that person. We talk about the invisible child, the one who's watching the way you handle this. They don't need two parents who are in love, they need two parents who love them more than they dislike each other. The gap between your anger and your parenting is where your children's mental health lives. Georgia law operates on the best interest of the child standard. We break this down into two categories: legal custody, which is your right to have a say in their education, religion, and health care, and fiscal custody, where they lay their head at night. Neither party should win custody. You should both be focused on crafting a parenting plan that is truly in the children's best interest, even if it's not exactly what you would prefer. Your parenting plan covers everything from pick-up times to how you handle a new significant other. A vague parenting plan is a recipe for a decade of future litigation. A specific, airtight plan is a recipe for peace and success. Years from now, your children aren't going to remember the details of your property division. They will and they shouldn't know the details of your property division. They're going to remember if they felt safe during the transition. They will remember if you spoke poorly of their other parent. Protecting your kids' hearts is the highest priority of your legal team because if you win the money but lose the relationship with the child, you've lost the case for all intents and purposes. Shooting your kids' hearts is the priority but to provide for them, we have to ensure your financial foundation is solid. You can't pour from an empty cup. And you can't provide a stable home without resources. That brings us to the math. High asset protection and the business of unbinding your life. I'm Jared Oxendine and we're moving forward.