Understanding Military Divorce: Common Issues & Communication Resources

Military families face particular challenges that other families don't encounter. With one or more family members away on deployment or elsewhere on duty, being apart from each other is a reality that military families must endure. No matter how accustomed they may be to distance, most are not prepared to face a fissure in the family by way of divorce. Any divorce can be complicated, but the issues faced during a military divorce can become compounded quickly. In this situation, it is important to take the right steps to work out issues in your case as well as seek ways to make this difficult situation easier on your kids. To help parents in the process of working out their divorce issues as well as creating lines of communication between each other and their children, military families should consider using a secure co-parenting communication resource that keeps everyone in the loop regardless of distance. 

Common Issues Affecting Families During a Military Divorce

By and large, the military considers divorce to be a civil issue. As always, divorce laws will vary from state to state, so it will still be important to get to know these laws in your state. Even so, certain rules solely apply to service members going through a military divorce. One unique legal issue that a military family in the midst of a divorce must face deals with their family care plan. A family care plan will lay out procedures for how children and other dependent family members should receive financial support, health care, and other forms of assistance while the military member is away on duty. All service members are encouraged to have this plan in place, as it can be a great help in an emergency situation. Nonetheless, a military family in the midst of a divorce may find their plans thrown for a loop. Your family care plan may include provisions as far as how to handle custody while away on military duty, but a divorce could affect the validity of those plans. As child custody laws vary from state to state, a parent may face issues in retaining custody if they must relocate to a new state. 

As a service member going through a military divorce, you should develop at least one parenting plan, but you may consider working out a few alternate plans in case of anything that could derail the original. This is particularly important if you may face deployment or transfer to locations far from where your children live. In case you are stationed far from your family, your plans should also include details concerning how you will communicate with each other about divorce issues and how you will stay in touch with your children.

Communication Resources for Separated Military Families 

It can be hard for service members living far from home to stay informed about the day-to-day lives of their kids, but technology has made it easier over the years for families to maintain connection while a parent is deployed. Where letters, packages, and phone calls were once the only ways that military service members could communicate with their families back home, web tools and mobile applications available online have opened the door to new forms of staying connected while apart. In a divorce situation, merely calling each other or even sending letters aren't always suitable options, particularly when conflict between parents is a serious issue. In these cases, military families should consider utilizing a resource that will keep lines of both parent-to-parent and parent-to-child communication open and secure while going through a divorce. 

OurFamilyWizard was launched to help families apart to maintain communication even in high conflict situations. OurFamilyWizard offers exceptional access to family information from parenting schedules and notes on activities to medical details and family photos. For a military parent, being able to access this information can make all the difference when away from home. The app also offers special account types for children and other family members to use so that they can send and receive messages with their family members away from home. 

For parents going through a military divorce, OurFamilyWizard can be a big help in high conflict situations because it helps to focus their communication on the topics that matter in regards to their kids. It also can contribute to opening up lines of communication where they might have otherwise been closed due to conflict or time differences. On top of opening lines of communication,  OurFamilyWizard allows family law and mental health practitioners to oversee family communication on the app. Their access to monitor activity can be useful if a parent's contact with their children has been obstructed due to parental conflict or other issues.

Stay Connected through OurFamilyWizard

Understanding the distinct issues that military families face, especially when facing a divorce, OurFamilyWizard makes its tools more accessible to them at a special rate for families with one or two active duty or retired military service members. When one parent purchases an OurFamilyWizard subscription, the other parent will receive one at no cost. Learn more about OurFamilyWizard's military discount program here.