Indianapolis Family Law Blog

Divorcing your spouse in Indiana is a stressful process, especially if you have children. If your ex-spouse engages in behavior intended to harm your relationship with your children and/or your reputation in the community, it can quickly become a nightmare scenario in which you are the victim of malicious parent syndrome. 

According to FindLaw, despite the name, medical and psychiatric professionals do not currently recognize malicious parent syndrome as a mental disorder. The term came about when a psychologist noticed and sought to describe a destructive pattern of behavior during divorce court cases in which one parent purposefully behaves vengefully toward the other during the proceedings, sometimes going so far as to engage in illegal activity, in the absence of a psychological disorder that could explain the behavior. 

In many ways, modern families often seem more complicated than traditional nuclear families. Couples don't feel compelled to marry just because they want to have children or buy a house anymore. With both parents working, grandparents, aunts and uncles, or even older cousins may play a larger role in the lives of small children.

Grandparents who provide housing or child care for their grandchildren often develop a strong bond with those children. Even those who could only see their grandchildren infrequently likely still have a deep-seated love for those little ones.

Life can be challenging for divorced parents, whether they are the custodial parent or the one who sees the kids on the weekends. As the parent who pays child support, you understand that your ex-spouse has difficulty making ends meet, but money can be tight for you as well. A big chunk of your paycheck goes toward supporting your children. Like other Indiana parents who pay child support, you may be concerned with how the money is being spent.

As FindLaw explains, child support is meant for your children’s physical and emotional well-being. This does not, however, mean you can ask your ex for receipts to prove your child support went to something worthwhile, or that you can tell him or her how the spend the money. After you pay child support, the receiving parent has the right to spend the money as he or she sees fit. Child support can be spent on basic needs, such as food, clothing and shelter, for your children’s education and extracurricular activities or for counseling, medication and doctor’s appointments. It is also considered appropriate for child support to be spent on things you might deem unnecessary, such as restaurant meals and gifts – provided your children’s physical needs are met.

If you have a child and were not married to his or her mother, then you should consider establishing paternity. Legally making a claim of being the father of a child in Indiana affords you specific rights to the child and also gives the child specific rights. Without established paternity, it can make it harder for you to be involved with your child and to ensure his or her needs are taken care of.

According to the Indiana Department of Child Services, establishing paternity gives you the legally right to be involved in your child's life. You can request custody or visitation rights. You have the ability to help care for the child and make decisions about his or her life. You also have the ability to get information about your child's schooling.