The collateral damage associated with the coronavirus is certainly a trendy topic to discuss right now. My perception of the situation is that most of us were mainly concerned with the health consequences of the virus towards the beginning of the pandemic. How deadly was it? How did it spread? How easy was it spread? How could we best protect our children and ourselves from catching the virus? These are all valid questions to ask, and in large part, I think they haven’t been answered so far based on the information available to us.
Once we have answered these questions, it isn’t as if we stopped asking questions for the time being. At that point, we look to secondary impacts of the virus beyond the immediate concerns regarding our health. How has the medical community responded to the virus? What are the hospitals looking like these days? The main impetus for the stay at home orders that we experienced early on in the pandemic was concerns over the hospital beds filling up with coronavirus patients, thus overwhelming power emergency rooms and hospitals. When you are considering the immediate consequences of a virus, this probably isn’t one that would come to your mind right off the top of your head.
The next area in our lives that most people are concerned with after health related to the coronavirus would be our economy’s strength and our employment circumstances about the virus. It is undeniable that many people are proud to save the virus, and even more unfortunate, some of the men lost their lives. It is sobering to think about all the things that are impacted by this virus’s health consequences. Statistically, however, most families have not been impacted by the virus in many of us don’t know this person who has gotten the coronavirus. This means that it may be that their personal economic situation related to the shutdowns is the most important issue related to the virus for those flows.
From my experience, I think people are out there most optimistic when their jobs are stable, and they can get their heads above water financially. Having to make payments each month on a car loan, a mortgage, and student loans is always difficult. However, it is more difficult you are unsure about the stability of your job. Should you be saving money for ring day, continuing to make payments on debt and other necessities in your life? This uncertainty can lead to a great deal of pessimism and fear.
From what I have personally experienced in my life and from what I have seen in other people’s lives, someone is fearful that a person tends to make bad decisions. A fearful person is a person who is not logical or objective; from there, the decisions that this person makes may not be based in reality but rather based on specific, temporary circumstances. I have filled the person with fear. Whether or not this describes you is not critical to his podcast. However, if you are experiencing a great deal of uncertainty in your life, I think it is worthwhile to pay attention to the information I share with you today.
What causes family law issues to arise in your household?
This is the important question that we need to ask ourselves right now. In an otherwise solid, stable household, what could suddenly bring that to an end and cause dramatic shifts in the framework of your family to switch off? Obviously, it does not take a pandemic to bring about problems in a family that lead folks to file family lawsuits against one another. We see divorces filed there at all times of the year variety of reasons. For as many people as a file for divorce, there are just as many specific reasons why the person who filed chose to do so.
Even in normal times, family law attorneys see an increase in the number of people who filed for divorce during certain times of the year. For instance, power the Holidays see a dip in the divorce rate because people are either busying themselves with activities associated with the Holidays or are doing the best to give, you’re her one last shot at working out. Typically, January is a busy time of year for family law attorneys as those same people are moving towards divorce after the Holidays conclude.
Tough economic times also see increases in the rate of divorce filings. As I mentioned a moment ago, if you have a steady job and have no problems paying your bills, you are less likely to allow your marriage problems to impact you. If your job or to be taken away from you due to a pandemic, then the problems you experience on a personal financial level may become much worse for you and your family if marital problems are also ongoing.
If you are accustomed to being the provider for your family from a financial perspective and that ability was taken away from you, it may cause you to look at yourself in a whole new light. You may not be a happy person. Look at it here due to your self-esteem being tied 2 your ability to provide financially. This is not necessarily a bad thing here. I think many of us are in this boat, and we feel a sense of rocks if we were to lose a job, especially under circumstances that we could not control.
Consider the dynamic in your house if you, your spouse, or one of your children get sick from the coronavirus or any other illness. Sickness in the family tends to create a great deal of stress, understandably. We have already discussed how financial issues can contribute to rising rates of family law cases. Well, a health scare in the family creates a circumstance where not only is there economic uncertainty, but there is also uncertainty as to the well-being of your family. Even minor problems within your marriage can be exacerbated during times like these.
Why custody cases may become more prevalent during the coronavirus pandemic
For those of you living a post-divorce life where you are settling into a routine of visitation exchanges, child support payments, and the like, the pandemic may also make life much more difficult for you in this regard. Consider how problems may arise if you are unable to pay child support. The primary reason, from my experience, or someone not paying child support is not due to negligence or an unwillingness to contribute to the well-being of your child. Most people failed to make child support payments because they cannot come up with the money every month.
In a time of economic uncertainty, where your working hours may have been cut, of furlough may have been pushed upon you, or your job may have been eliminated, it is not difficult to imagine circumstances where you may run into issues regarding how to pay child support. This is an especially sticky situation because if your Co-parent relies on your child’s support to pay bills or perform other essential duties, their own economic circumstances may not be much better than yours right now. When you combine 2 worried people, you have less economic wherewithal than they did three months ago, you have a situation where a child support enforcement case may be much more likely to be filed.
What about a situation where you are being denied possession of your child over concerns he or she may get sick with you?
Consider, also, what happened in a situation where your ex-spouse refused to allow you to Visitation with your children over concerns that your child may get sick if he or she were to leave their primary household. You may be the cleanest, most conscientious parent in the world, but if your ex-spouse has a belief that your child is going to get sick if he or she were to step outside the house, then there is really nothing you can do to dissuade him or her from that position.
It doesn’t make it right for him or her to deny you visitation, however. If you have been denied visitation time with your child due to your ex-spouse’s unfounded beliefs that you are going to do something that leads your child to get sick, then you have a potential child custody situation on your hands. Remember that even if your ex-spouse is violating your parenting plan, you cannot simply call the police and ask them to help you deal with the situation. The result is that an enforcement case may need to be filed against your ex-spouse.
Does this all mean that you are more likely to find yourself in a family law case right now?
Of course, there is no way to say for certain whether or not you are headed towards a family law case right now more than he would have been during any other time period. There are so many specific circumstances that will impact you and your family as you move towards or away from a family law case. Your willingness to work together with your Co-parent’s entire patience with him or her is essential right now. If you are a person considering a divorce, you will know good and well whether your spouse is willing to attend counseling or work on your issues, given that you both are at home more now than ever before.
I can tell you that stressful times typically bring about reactions that do not necessarily exhibit your true feelings. When you are patient at its end, and you feel like the walls are literally closing in on you may choose to decide that goes against your better instincts and the best interests of you and your family. Ultimately you are the person who will determine whether or not you file for a family law case. Sometimes the filing of the case was inevitable, regardless of whether or not the pandemic occurred. I can also see that these stressful times have brought about an increase and people being willing to discuss the filing of a family law case.
That is not to say that the filing of a case is inevitable if you feel stressed out and have tried to work out problems with your Co-parent or spouse. You can always attempt to reconcile with him or her using a therapist or counselor. Most of these professionals are open for business as we head into the middle of summer. Hopefully, now you and your spouse had become acclimated to new Visitation protocols with your child, and disagreements can be settled between the two of you amicably. If you can act more flexibly regarding Visitation with your child, I think you can decrease the likelihood of a child custody case occurring during the pandemic.
While the laws in the books regarding child custody and divorce cases have not changed since the beginning of the pandemic, the process of beginning one may have become more cumbersome given the closure of many family courts in our area until the counties began to open back up for business. As such, if you believe that a family law case does need to be filed, it is recommended that you inquire about hiring an experienced family law attorney to represent you and your interests.
Questions about the material contained in today’s blog post? Contact the Law Office of Bryan Fagan
The attorneys and staff with the Law Office of Bryan Fagan would like to thank you for choosing to spend part of your day with us here in our block. If you have any questions about the information contained in our blog post, please do not hesitate to contact the Law Office of Bryan Fagan. Our licensed family law attorneys offer free of charge consultation six days a week, or we can answer your questions and address your Video concerns. Consultations are available in person, over the phone, in via video.
Ebook
If you want to know more about what you can do, CLICK the button below to get your FREE E-book: “Child Custody E-Book”
Other Articles you may be interested in:
- 12 Texas Custody & Conservatorship Battle Tips
- Child Custody Basics in Texas
- Do I Have to Pay Child Support if I Have Joint Custody of My Child in Texas?
- Child Custody Basics in Texas
- Are Dads at a Disadvantage when trying to win 50/50 custody in a Texas Divorce?
- Sole Managing Conservator in a Child Custody Case in Texas?
- Help!! My Ex-Spouse Kidnapped my Child
- How Much Will My Texas Child Custody Case Cost?
- When Can a Minor Child Weigh in on Custody Decisions in Texas?”
- Child Custody Geographic Restrictions in Texas
Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC | Houston, Texas Child Custody Lawyers
The Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC, routinely handles matters that affect children and families. If you have questions regarding child custody, it’s important to speak with one of our Houston, TX child custody lawyers right away to protect your rights.
Our child custody lawyers in Houston, TX, are skilled at listening to your goals during this trying process and developing a strategy to meet those goals. Contact Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC by calling (281) 810-9760 or submit your contact information in our online form. The Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC handles child custody cases in Houston, Texas, Cypress, Klein, Humble, Kingwood, Tomball, The Woodlands, Houston, the FM 1960 area, or surrounding areas, including Harris County, Montgomery County, Liberty County, Chambers County, Galveston County, Brazoria County, Fort Bend County, and Waller County.
Bryan Fagan, a native of Atascocita, Texas, is a dedicated family law attorney inspired by John Grisham’s “The Pelican Brief.” He is the first lawyer in his family, which includes two adopted brothers. Bryan’s commitment to family is personal and professional; he cared for his grandmother with Alzheimer’s while completing his degree and attended the South Texas College of Law at night.
Married with three children, Bryan’s personal experiences enrich his understanding of family dynamics, which is central to his legal practice. He specializes in family law, offering innovative and efficient legal services. A certified member of the College of the State Bar of Texas, Bryan is part of an elite group of legal professionals committed to ongoing education and high-level expertise.
His legal practice covers divorce, custody disputes, property disputes, adoption, paternity, and mediation. Bryan is also experienced in drafting marital property agreements. He leads a team dedicated to complex family law cases and protecting families from false CPS allegations.
Based in Houston, Bryan is active in the Houston Family Law Sector of the Houston Bar Association and various family law groups in Texas. His deep understanding of family values and his professional dedication make him a compassionate advocate for families navigating Texas family law.
