5 Common Mistakes You Should Avoid During a Child Custody Battle

The number one rule of parenting is that it should always reflect what’s in the best interest of your children.

Child custody battles are emotionally difficult for everyone involved but can also be quite expensive. There are many mistakes that some parents make during the process, which can ultimately harm their position in court. So, if you’re going through a divorce and child custody case, this article is for you.

Inappropriate Communications with Your Soon-to-be Ex-Spouse

There are three F’s regarding communications with your spouse: Friendly, Factual, and Firm. This can be difficult to achieve, especially if you don’t have good relations with your ex-spouse, but it has to be done.

Maintaining healthy and respectful communication is vital because parents are not the only ones going through a divorce; your children are too. In such cases, it’s always better to get help from professional lawyers who can guide you through the divorce process in an easier way.

Not Having Evidence for Parenting Time

One of the most common mistakes for newly divorced parents trying to win a child custody battle is not keeping track of what’s happening in your family. The best thing would be to keep a journal and write on it whenever your spouse is often late or missing parenting time, when your children tell you troubling things, etc.

This is used for evidentiary purposes, and there’s no harm in it because the journal should include any incidents if they constantly happen. Again, suppose you want to gather as much evidence as possible and document any evidence to the court. In that case, we recommend contacting Houston Custody Lawyers if you’re from that area.

Being Inflexible

The number one rule of parenting is that it should always reflect what’s in the best interest of your children. Sometimes this may be difficult to achieve and conflict with your preferences, especially when your child wants to be part of a family activity with your spouse, which can interfere with your parenting time.

To avoid this mistake, the first thing you should do is deal with a divorce lawyer beforehand. Depending on where you live, you can contact Houston Divorce Lawyers, and they will help you manage your parenting time and guide you through this process. This will help you succeed with co-parenting, leading to a healthier relationship with your ex-spouse and children. It’s a win-win situation.

Not Communicating with Your Child’s School

You don’t need to volunteer for any school-related activity to know what’s happening in your child’s life. But you must be on the school list, serve and communicate with your child’s teachers. Apart from that, you should check the status of grades and homework to ensure that they’re not missing out on anything.

The same thing goes for medical care as well. Although you don’t need to take your child to medical appointments routinely, you must communicate with the medical care provider, ensure you’re an emergency contact and be aware of any special needs.

Constantly Criticizing the Other Parent

A parent constantly criticizes their ex-spouse in front of the children and is never considered a good parent. This can interfere with your battle and ruin the chances of winning the case as the court may be pushed to award child custody to the parent who is seen as less disrespectful and protects the children from the other parent.