For parents who are going through divorce with their children, one of the issues that arises tends to be how to split up the children’s belongings.
In a perfect world, children would have everything they need in both houses. They’d have duplicates of important items, like their favorite toys or homework books. They’d have two different closets of clothing and have full suites of matching furniture in their rooms.
The reality is, though, that many parents simply cannot buy doubles of everything their kids have. If finances are tighter following the divorce, it may be even more important that the property is divided in a way that gives the child what they need in both homes, even if it means that not everything they have is in one home.
Dividing your children’s property fairly
It may need to be said that many things you say are your children’s are actually your marital assets. For example, furniture purchased for your kids’ rooms belong to both you and your spouse. Dividing that property can be tricky.
How can you do it? To start with, look at which parent needs those items more. For example, if you earn more than your ex-spouse will and will have your children less often, you may want to consider letting them keep your children’s bedroom suites. Then, you could buy new items for them in your own home.
If that’s tough on your budget, consider supplying the furniture to one parent and splitting the cost of a new bedroom set for each child in the other home.
As for smaller items, like toys or clothing, at least some of those can travel back and forth between your homes. You may want to do some basic division of your children’s clothing or toys when there are many, so that there are a few things available in each home to start with. Over time, it’s reasonable that those items will naturally find the homes they belong in.
This can be a tricky part of your divorce, but it is possible to divide your children’s belongings and to help them have a comfortable environment in both homes.