Families Change Teen Guide to Separation & Divorce

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Common-law Parents

Some parents aren't married. They chose to live together without getting married. In legal terms, this is called a “Common Law” relationship.

When common-law parents stop living together, they don't have to get a divorce, because there is no marriage to end. But they do need to decide what will happen to their kids and how they will divide their property.

The laws about custody and access are the same for married couples as they are for common-law couples. Parents need to decide on living arrangements for the kids and to decide on visitation rights, so that both parents have the opportunity to spend time with the kids.

Q & A

Q:
What is the difference between separation and divorce?
A:

When two people have been living together and they decide not to live together anymore, they are separated. However, when married people separate, their marriage has not yet ended. They have to get a divorce to legally end a marriage. Common-law couples don't have to get a divorce, because there is no marriage to end.

Q:
My parents never married. Do they have to go through the same process that married parents do when they split up?
A:

Common-law parents — parents who chose to live together without getting married — don't have to get a divorce, because there is no marriage to end. But they do need to decide what will happen to their children and how they will divide their property.

Q:
Who decides who I will live with?
A:

Ideally, your parents will make the decisions together about who you will live with and how that will work. Your opinion should be taken into account.

If they can't decide themselves, they might go to a mediator for help in reaching an agreement. Or they might have to go to court and have a judge make the decisions for them.