San Antonio Family Law Blog

This is one in a series of four articles, in a collaboration between Law Office of Lisa A. Vance founder Lisa Vance and Dr. Becky Davenport, founder of the San Antonio-based Institute of Couple and Family Enhancement, looking at parenting plans in divorce decrees from a child's perspective.

Bexar County's standing orders - which judges often adopt by default when hearing divorce cases - don't adequately account for what children need from their parents at different age levels, especially after divorce. We're addressing four different age groups in order to help parents going through divorce think about what their children need.

The good news about parenting children in this broad age group is that they're more adaptable than children in the younger age groups, and because they're attending school full-time, they're also getting guidance and input from teachers and other adult figures. Of course, a parent's role remains vital during this time in a child's life in which a child is developing physically and emotionally.

This is one in a series of four articles, in a collaboration between Law Office of Lisa A. Vance founder Lisa Vance and Dr. Becky Davenport, founder of the San Antonio-based Institute of Couple and Family Enhancement, looking at parenting plans in divorce decrees from a child's perspective.

Bexar County's standing orders - which judges often adopt by default when hearing divorce cases - don't adequately account for what children need from their parents at different age levels, especially after divorce. We're addressing four different age groups in order to help parents going through divorce think about what their children need.

Though the first three years is incredibly broad from a child development perspective, we're looking at parenting plans through this window because the Texas Family Code does.

The Texas Family Code, in creating the standard orders that many parents end up using their divorce decrees, tries to account for how parenting time is apportioned in most scenarios. There are rules governing the regular school year, the summer months, and the holiday season between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. If you look close enough, you'll even see that there's a provision for birthdays.

It's better to give than to receive. We say it a lot around the holiday season, and while some people might think it's corny or cliché, there's definitely truth to it. Seeing the face of a child light up, when he or she is opening a present you've selected, is one of the best things about the holidays.