We are not married with 2 kids. What are my rights if we separate?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you live in DC, where they recognize common law marriage?

Living together in no way equals common law marriage.

[Anonymous]

Push marriage. Then you are protected in divorce.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you live in DC, where they recognize common law marriage?

Living together in no way equals common law marriage.

+1

Especially in DC. Even if you DID live together for X number of years AND held yourselves out as married, you still would not be common-law married in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you live in DC, where they recognize common law marriage?

Living together in no way equals common law marriage.

+1

Especially in DC. Even if you DID live together for X number of years AND held yourselves out as married, you still would not be common-law married in DC.

Well if living together and having 2 children doesn't mean common law in DC then nothing ever will. I'm not OP and have no dog in this fight, but that's just stupid.

OP, you need to get him to agree to help you while you are looking for a job. Start looking now.

[Anonymous]

Let this be a lesson to you about the dangers of giving the milk away for free!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let this be a lesson to you about the dangers of giving the milk away for free!

No this isn’t a lesson for anything because nobody has pointed out any better legal protections that OP would have if she were married.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let this be a lesson to you about the dangers of giving the milk away for free!

No this isn’t a lesson for anything because nobody has pointed out any better legal protections that OP would have if she were married.

For starters, she'd have rights to the house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let this be a lesson to you about the dangers of giving the milk away for free!

No this isn’t a lesson for anything because nobody has pointed out any better legal protections that OP would have if she were married.

For starters, she'd have rights to the house.

She'd have rights to anything earned or gained during the marriage. She'd be able to get his social security depending on how long they were married.

[Anonymous]

50/50 custody is now customary. You will receive child support.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you live in DC, where they recognize common law marriage?

Living together in no way equals common law marriage.

+1

Especially in DC. Even if you DID live together for X number of years AND held yourselves out as married, you still would not be common-law married in DC.

Well if living together and having 2 children doesn't mean common law in DC then nothing ever will. I'm not OP and have no dog in this fight, but that's just stupid.

OP, you need to get him to agree to help you while you are looking for a job. Start looking now.

In DC, in order to be common-law married, you and your spouse must have actually agreed to be married. Like, you would be able to identify the date you were married.

Common-law marriage just isn't what people think it is. Even in the states where living together for a certain number of years is required, you still have to have held yourself out as married.

That said, marriage isn't going to help OP now anyway--I suppose it might make it harder to kick her out of the house, but it's not going to give her any ownership rights in the property.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let this be a lesson to you about the dangers of giving the milk away for free!

No this isn’t a lesson for anything because nobody has pointed out any better legal protections that OP would have if she were married.

For starters, she'd have rights to the house.

She'd have rights to anything earned or gained during the marriage. She'd be able to get his social security depending on how long they were married.

And employer pension benefits, possibly.

[Anonymous]

You have no rights other than child support. To his is why you get married before having children!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How old are your kids, OP? Has their father been involved in their upbringing? Does he travel for work? Most people seem to get 50-50% custody these days, but it is not an automatic. Similarly, most stay-at-home mothers are required to get a job and become self-supporting, but the age of the kids can affect expectations about timing.

5 and 18 months old

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You have no rights other than child support. To his is why you get married before having children!

+1. This is one of the main reasons LGBT community fought so hard for legal marriage. It's not just a piece of paper, it's a legal contract that gives protection and benefits to the people that enter into said contract.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let this be a lesson to you about the dangers of giving the milk away for free!

No this isn’t a lesson for anything because nobody has pointed out any better legal protections that OP would have if she were married.

Consider yourself schooled, dummy.