When couples divorce or separate, the issue of child custody will come up. If this can’t be resolved amicably between both parties, they will need to seek child custody assistance. This comes in the form of a child custody lawyer who will go over your child custody options in a divorce. This is a difficult time for both parents and children so it’s always best to move forward in the best interest of the children. Child case lawyers are not assigned by the court. Instead, it is your responsibility to hire a child custody law attorney. This attorney will educate you on everything you need to know about child custody law pertaining to your case. The aim is to reach a child custody agreement that both parties can agree on and which is in the best interest of the children. To learn more about child custody and how a child custody lawyer can help you, contact an attorney near you. This will give you peace of mind knowing that you’re headed in the right direction.

Dealing with a child custody case is often very overwhelming and troublesome. The parent is forced to prove their parenting ability and in some cases, prove a lack of parenting ability for the spouse. Throughout this entire process, the children are left confused and sometimes with strong feelings of guilt. It is important to keep your children in mind during the child custody proceedings and always keep their best intentions in mind.

Keep their safety priority

It is important to keep your child?s safety a priority during the child custody proceedings. In most legal cases, full custody is not sought unless there is a risk of harm to the child. If this is the case, you will want to take every chance to document your safety concerns. You will also want to hire experienced child custody lawyers to ensure that your child is kept safe. Your child custody lawyers might also recommend bringing in any character witnesses that can testify to your concern for your child?s safety.

Never use children as leverage

Divorces bring up a lot of strong emotions. Unfortunately, many of these emotions come out in the form of using children as leverage. One parent attempts to get back at another, by fighting for full custody of kids. Despite the overwhelming amount of feelings, try to keep your children in mind, and never use them as leverage against your divorcing spouse. Your child will be the one that suffers, in the end.

Always try for split custody

You will find the best solution is to always aim for split custody. Studies show that children who spend at least 35% of their time with each parent, rather than live with one and visit the other, have better relationships with their parents and function better socially, academically, and psychologically. Give your child the best chance at a happy and successful life by aiming for a split custody outcome. If this is not a possibility, due to time or location restraints, try to make the custody situation as equal as possible. Your divorce lawyers can help you come up with an equal and fair arrangement that works for everyone.

Try to be open with your child

Divorce is confusing for everyone involved. It is especially confusing for younger children, who are common left out of the divorce talk. Although you may not be able to tell your child everything about the divorce, it is important to be open with them. Allow them to ask questions and to voice their concerns. Many children feel somewhat guilty for a divorce and this can affect other aspects of their life. The best way to reduce these feelings of guilt is to encourage open communication with them.

Work with a family law lawyer

It is likely that you are already working with a family law lawyer to handle your divorce, but you may also want experienced child custody lawyers. While many law firms tie divorce and child custody together, they are actually very different and separate areas of the law. A divorce lawyer will usually deal with monetary and possession divorce issues, while child custody lawyers focus specifically on the children involved. Child custody lawyers deal with child safety concerns, living arrangements, and child support payment issues. Keeping your child custody concerns separate from your divorce is one of the best ways to avoid using your children as leverage also.

In the United States, there are about 876,000 divorces each year. That means there is a new divorce happening every 36 seconds. That also means that children are commonly affected by divorces. More than 1 million children are involved in divorce proceedings every year. Child custody battles can be lengthy, emotional, and guilt producing. It is important to keep your child and their needs in mind during the entire child custody legal proceeding. Work with child support lawyers who are familiar with this unique area of the legal system.