Suiting your situation
When Las Vegas parents divorce, there are enormous issues for them to settle in negotiations or litigation. Of course child custody is at the top of the list, followed by child support, asset division and spousal support.
With the help of a skilled, experienced family law attorney, those issues are resolved and the two halves of the former couple go their separate ways. However, as parents they will be forever united by their children and the endless responsibilities and tasks that go with raising kids. But at some point in the process — perhaps during the divorce and perhaps afterwards — the woman will ask herself whether she should change her last name. Should she return to her pre-marriage name? Stick with the name she might well share with her children? Come up with an entirely new, post-divorce name?
It’s a question millions of women wrestle with as they create new lives for themselves following the end of a marriage. Emma Johnson, a Forbes contributor and blogger (wealthysinglemommy.com), argues that women should not change their names when they marry, making the whole question of revising the name after a divorce moot.
But let’s say you stuck with tradition when you married, as so many do, and adopted your husband’s name upon saying “I do.” Now that you’re a single mom, or about to become one, what to do with the last name that is a constant reminder of your ex? Many women want to change their name back to what they once had, only to find their children in rebellion.
“Mommy, we’re a tribe,” said one woman’s kids when she broached the idea of changing her name. Her children didn’t want their mom’s name to be different from theirs. In many cases, they opt to keep their married name to keep peace. In other situations, they are able to carefully explain to the kids why the name-change is important.
It depends on the individual, the ex and the children involved, of course, and comes down to what is best for you, Johnson writes.
It’s much like going through a divorce and figuring out child custody issues. There is no template to follow. All families are different and each situation calls for a unique solution. That’s why it’s critical to have at your side an experienced Nevada family law attorney; someone who will listen carefully to you, understand your priorities and then help shape your divorce and parenting agreements to suit your situation.
