Everyone involved in a child custody case is going to feel some stress. Nobody gets married, has a baby and plans on fighting for custody but it still happens once in a while. You need to find a good balance between standing up for your own interests and keeping your child’s well being at heart. In the following paragraphs, we are going to share some tips that you can use to help you get through a child custody situation.
Sure you want to do everything under the sun to gain custody of your children but there will come a time when the court is actually going to make a decision. At this point, you have to accept this decision and make the best of it, whether you win or lose. Keep in mind that the most important thing is that your son or daughter’s best interests are met. If you do manage to win your case, do not try to completely exclude your former spouse from your child’s life.
Visitation
Respect any visitation that may have been granted. If, on the other hand, you lose, don’t take this out on your child. You still need to be as much a part of your child’s life as the court will let you be. Do everything you can to win your kids’ custody case but when it is finished and ruled over, you need to make the most out of whatever happens.
In some situations, mediation is a fantastic alternative to going to court when you want to win in a child custody case. This trend is a growing one and it is actually worth considering. If both parents agree to mediation studies prove that it can be useful in coming to an agreement most of the time. This is good for both of the parents and is better for the children too. It is usually thought to be faster and cheaper to do this than to drag everybody through a court case. Mediation is also quite a lot easier on kids because it is based around dialogue and not conflict. Sometimes mediation isn’t possible but it should be the first thing you try.
Documentation
There is no such thing as too much documentation when you are dealing with a legal or court matter. It’s not enough to tell your judge the things you’ve done for your child, you need to show the judge proof of what you have done for your child. This includes things like receipts, financial records and any other documentation that you want to show the court. Photographs are incredibly useful when it comes to proving the state in which you keep your child’s home and his or her room. Beyond regular documents, it is also a good idea to keep notes of anything that you might have to explain later. It might feel tedious but in terms of child custody cases, being able to prove and demonstrate things is incredibly important.
To sum up, child custody situations aren’t ever going to be pleasant; the best you can do is prepare yourself as best as you can. This means doing your research and finding out as much as you can about the laws in your area. It also means that you need to get some good legal help and that you need to follow the advice of your lawyer. These are just a few of the things that will help you have the very best chance of actually winning your child’s custody case.