Fighting for your children after a divorce can be an exhausting experience. Not only must you ensure that you are the model parent, you must make time to meet in court while juggling all of the other important aspects of your daily life. In other words, winning your child custody case is not easy. Fortunately, in this article a Tampa child custody private investigator will discuss all of the actions you should avoid if you want to improve your chances of winning your child custody case.
Avoid Speaking Negatively About Your Ex to Your Kids
Your frustrations with your former spouse are warranted, but your kids aren’t your therapists and you shouldn’t divulge personal information to them as if they are. Save your negative feelings for someone qualified to listen, like a therapist, a trusted friend, or a loving family member.
Stay on Schedule
When you’re locked in a child custody battle, it’s important to remember that appearances are an important part of proving that you are the superior parent. The time you’ve scheduled with your kids is important, and you should treat it as your first priority. Eschewing this responsibility in favor of other experiences is a surefire way to lose your child custody case. If you reschedule time with your kids often, and your ex documents this pattern, it could be used against you in court.
Stay Away from Drugs and Alcohol
Nothing raises red flags faster than a parent who abuses drugs and alcohol. No judge is going to award custody to a parent who exhibits a pattern of drug and alcohol abuse, so it’s imperative that you stay clean. If you are an addict, it’s best to seek help before you try to get custody of your kids. You know that you can’t be the best version of yourself for your kids if you’re hitting the bottle every day.
Comply with the Judge’s Orders
It’s important to comply with all requests from the court. Whether it’s taking parenting classes, seeking counseling, or something else entirely, you must ably demonstrate how dedicated you are to your children by going out of your way to appease the court’s requests.
Keep Your Children on a “Need to Know” Basis
When it comes to your court case, your children are better off knowing as little as possible. As a responsible parent, you aren’t trying to make your kids choose sides or overburden them with stress and anxiety about the future of your family. Childhood is a precious time; let your kids enjoy it while you figure out what is best for them.
Be Truthful
If you try to downplay your ex’s competency with invented stories, there’s a good chance you’ll be caught. When this happens, your lies can be used against you in court to portray you in a negative light. Keep unfounded allegations out of the courtroom and don’t let your suspicions or any feelings of malice distort your testimonies.
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