I Am A Woman In The Military And Am Getting A Divorce In Florida. I Want To Keep Custody Of My Children. What Are My Options?

Unfortunately, women serving in the military often find it tough to obtain custody of their children. If they do not have custody of their children, they may have problems enforcing their visitation rights. Legally, judges are not supposed to look at military service when deciding custody issues, but they often do anyway.

Sadly, it’s common for fathers or other family members to go to family court and point out that the mother will be gone on deployment for months or even a year at a time, or to be on the field for weeks at a time. It’s also common for other family members to allege that the mother does not have a stable residence, since she is likely to move a lot.

In a divorce case, a military woman must make it clear that her job is no different than a civilian job, and that it’s common for other types of jobs to transfer employees frequently. She should also point out that there are child care centers on base that will help with the odd schedules that military personnel often have to deal with.

If a military mom has visitation rather than primary custody, that visitation can be very expensive and difficult to enforce, especially if you are hundreds or thousands of miles from your children. If your ex simply refuses to work with you, you may have to file a court motion with your divorce court, or even to sue your ex.