Kentucky And Indiana Law Blog

Some Kentucky fathers may be struggling to pay child support because their income is too low for the amount they have been ordered to pay. According to a study by the Urban Institute, the income range for 70 percent of parents who are behind in child support is under $10,000. Some of those parents have no income in at all.

In a documentary called "Where's Daddy?", filmmaker Rel Dowdell takes a look at the child support system and how it disproportionately punishes African-American fathers from the time they enter the court hearing with insufficient legal counsel. This means that in addition to not having the representation they need, these fathers may also be unaware that if their income drops, they can ask for a modification based on a change in circumstances.

Generally speaking, a child's custodial parent is the one he or she lives with most of the time. However, Kentucky parents shouldn't assume that this is always the case. A court may require a parent to actually file for custody in family court even if the other parent isn't supporting the child financially or in other ways. This can be done either with an attorney or by filing pro se without one.

It is also worth noting that a noncustodial parent can still play a significant role in a child's life. In some cases, both parents will work together to raise their child regardless of who actually has custody. As part of helping to raise a child, the noncustodial parent will likely be required to make child support payments. The exact amount of each payment will be determined by his or her income a well as other state guidelines.

Some parents in Kentucky who are going through a divorce might want to look into a trend in child custody called bird nesting. This involves having the children stay put in one home while the parents take turns living there.

While this is not an approach that will work for all parents and children, it can offer a number of advantages including giving children time to adjust to the divorce. However, it is important for children to understand that the arrangement does not mean their parents will be getting back together.

While many Kentucky couples may not think that chores could be a divisive topic when it comes to the beginning of a relationship, they may be interested to learn that it is often a major factor in the ending of one. According to a Harvard Business School study, 25 percent of divorced couples reported that housework disagreements were the main reason for the split.

The study also found that couples were more likely to stick together if they outsourced some of their household tasks, even if this meant spending a small amount of money. Outsourcing small tasks, like having a housekeeper once a week, gives couples more time to spend together doing things that strengthen the relationship. It also prevents arguments over having to do additional work after a long day, which can build up over time and cause a couple to get a divorce. However, not all couples may be able to afford this.