Tips For Winning Child Custody, Part 1

If you are caught up in divorce proceedings, it can be an very stressful experience, even when the divorce is friendly, and not filled with anger. When you have an uncontested divorce, the issues of child custody can usually be taken care of by mutual agreement, without lots of drama and disagreement. When a divorce is contested and filled with anger, however, the matter of who gets to have custody of the children can become a major combat zone. If you should find yourself involved in this kind of situation, there are certain things that you should try to do to help improve the odds that you will be able to win your struggle to be granted custody of your children.

* Be absolutely certain that you don’t allow your children to be exposed to environments that are unhealthy, or that could be harmful to them in any way. If you are still smoking, by all means quit- at least when your children are with you! If stopping is absolutely impossible for you (in other words, if cigarettes are tougher to give up than custody of your children), then at the very minimum, you must stop smoking when you are around them. Not only is it demonstrably harmful to their health and well-being, but if you are exposing them to a known health hazard (which smoking is), it can provide a very effective weapon that your former spouse can turn against you during the custody proceedings.

* If you are already involved in a new romantic partner, be very careful when it comes to making an open display of affection with your new lover. This is very important, for at least two reasons: first, it can be quite upsetting to your children when they witness this, because they still may have intense feelings of loyalty to your former spouse. Second, the court will typically frown on it if children are being exposed to an highly sexual or erotic environment. You most also be certain that you are spending enough time with your children, and that you are not ignoring them to spend time with your new partner.

* Give careful consideration to where your children really want to live. You should be aware of what their preference is, even if it might not be to live with you. Should your children have a strong preference to remain with your opposite partner, insisting that you be granted custody of them can be both self defeating, and damaging to the future of your relationship with them. The only exclusion to this warning would be in a situation where you have legitimate concerns for the safety of your children if they were to remain with your ex – and even in that case, you must prepare yourself for resistance from the children if you win custody.

* Be as involved as possible in the lives of your children throughout the duration of the custody process. By doing this you will cast yourself in the most favorable light in the eyes of the Court. If you seem to the Court to have left your children to the care of your former spouse, you will almost certainly lose your custody battle.

* Do your everything possible to hire a very competent attorney who can really help you with your custody case. An attorney who holds your best interests as a top priority will be your best ally in your quest for custody of your children. Unfortunately, finding that kind of attorney is often a real gamble.

Even if you have a top-notch lawyer, you still need to have a second resource available to you. This should be something that can provide an alternate source of necessary information and advice to help you. By having that, if your attorney does turn out to be mostly interested in collecting fees while doing little actual work, you have another source of guidance. Another reason to have an alternative resource – other than your attorney – is that many attorneys are simply not able to keep up with all the newest psychological and legal ideas about custody, as well as the kinds of evidence, and the types of allegations that will succeed(or are bound to fail ) in the courtroom.

To get access to this kind of vital support information, you need to obtain a Custody Guide that has been written by experts in the field of child custody who have well-deserved reputations for their knowledge of the field. You need to get your information from experts who specialize in child custody and have the in-depth experience and knowledge that enables them to compile the important information, and to keep it current. It is also important that the information be presented in a way that makes it possible for an untrained person to comprehend it, and use it. There are probably many sources for this type of guide that can help you find your way through the confusing legal maze that is Child Custody. The links in the resource box will provide further information on some of the best that you will find.

Learn more about the best strategies to use in your custody fight. Get copies of two FREE reports about child custody by clicking: Free Child Custody Reports. Then, discover more resources that can assist you in your fight for custody at Custody Matters. This article, Tips For Winning Child Custody, Part 1 is available for free reprint.