Over the years, it is common for parents to collect keepsakes as they watch their children grow. Your child may grow out of their first pair of shoes quickly, but you hang onto them for nostalgic purposes. Some things you may hold onto to pass down again to your children, when they have children.
There are many of these items you might hold dear, including, but not limited to:
- Baby pictures or the baby book
- Your child’s old artwork
- Even your child’s old toys or clothes
These physical manifestations of your most treasured memories may not hold financial value. However, they have significant sentimental value. They are priceless to you – and your child’s other parent. That is often where conflict may lie if you pursue a divorce. Who keeps which keepsakes? What happens to these items?
How are these keepsakes classified?
Your marital property includes much more than your home or financial accounts. Personal property also falls under this category, and can include almost everything you accumulate during your marriage, with a few exceptions.
That means these items, from the baby book to the framed photos lining the walls of your home, are indeed marital property, if they were obtained in the years you were married.
But how will you divide them?
Since you and your child’s other parent must determine how you divide your marital property in a North Carolina divorce, you have to figure out how to manage these keepsakes and memories as well. That may not always be an easy task. Dividing assets that do not carry a financial value can often be more complex than it seems. After all, you cannot put a number on emotional value.
Thankfully, we live in a high-tech world. So, it is easy for spouses to scan photos and artwork, and share copies digitally. Though, determining how to divide the originals or physical items that cannot be scanned can pose a larger question for divorcing spouses. It will require careful discussion and negotiation, particularly if both spouses have attachments to the items in question.
There is no doubt that items with sentimental value are important to you. They are also important to address in your divorce. When facing these often emotionally complicated negotiations, it is often in your best interest to consult an experienced family law attorney who can help you handle these priceless assets.