Riverside Family Law Blog

Divorce is expensive, and that can leave many divorced parents struggling to meet their bills -- including their child support obligations. If your ex-spouse is behind on support (and other bills), you may be concerned about what will happen if they file for bankruptcy protection.

Relax. Generally speaking, child support obligations don't disappear when a parent files for bankruptcy. Unlike credit card bills and other unsecured debts, it's very difficult for a parent to escape a child support bill -- even one that is long-overdue.

If you and your child's other parent are getting a divorce, you naturally expect the other parent to pay a fair share of your child's basic expenses -- such as food, shelter and clothing. After all, that is the purpose of child support.

But your expenses for your child don't stop there. There are a lot of expenses that the parent with primary custody often has to manage -- and child support should be negotiated with that in mind. Depending on your child's age, interests and abilities, here are some of the things your child may need beyond the absolute basics:

• Sports equipment, team fees, uniform costs, registration costs and transportation and lodging during out-of-town games
• School photos, yearbooks and honor society inductions
• Private tutoring in dance, music, golf, tennis or something similar
• Recital fees and instrument costs or dance costumes
• Tutoring and other academic assistance, including educational materials
• Fees for art classes, theater dues and acting classes
• The cost to attend school outings, including trips out of town
• The expense of church camps, summer camps, computer camps or enrichment camps
• Computer equipment, e-readers, cellular phones and a cellular plan
• A college savings account or a similar fund that will help your child get started as an adult
• Money to purchase the child's first vehicle and help cover the cost of insurance for a while
• Therapy that isn't covered by insurance (or the co-pays) for speech and language problems or other developmental issues

Once your divorce is final, you'll have a detailed agreement or court order that outlines how every aspect of your split gets handled -- from taxes to child custody and everything in between.

But what about before the divorce is finished? Life doesn't stop -- or even slow down -- just because you and your spouse have agreed to split. You need some kind of guidance on how to handle important issues during the months (or years) leading up to the final agreement.

If your spouse has strong ties to another country, you may worry that he or she will disappear with your children in tow to some far-off land where you will never see them again.

It's a reasonable fear. When a marital relationship breaks down, strong feelings about the future of the children from the relationship often surface. If you're afraid that your spouse will abduct the children overseas, here are some practical things you need to discuss with your attorney.