One of the hardest parts of going through a divorce is dealing with custody. While property and assets are easy to sell off and divide, deciding who your children will stay with can be tough. If you are determined to retain custody of your children, here are some tips that can help you do it.
Avoid Going To Court At All Costs
Many people see custody battles play out in TV or movies, and they always end up going to court where a judge decides what is best for the children. That doesn't have to be the case in a custody battle, since going to court means that you lose control over what the final outcome will be. It puts the power in the hands of a judge, where you must prove your case in order for them to make the decision you want.
You should try to settle the custody battle in mediation when possible. This is the time that you can make concessions to your spouse in order to get the one thing that you really want, and try to get them to agree to the situation. If a judge ends up taking that decision away from your spouse, it will also make dealing with custody afterwards much harder on them if you are awarded custody. Working it out in mediation means that it is a mutual decision where there is no reason to blame the other person for the outcome.
Gather Your Evidence
If you do end up going to court to decide custody, it will be important that you gather your evidence to prove that you would be the better parent. The best way you can do this is to create a list of things that you do for your children that your spouse does not.
Do not make a list of things that your spouse is unable to do because they are working, such as pick your kids up from school. Instead, come up with a list of ways that you take care of your children where your spouse is lacking. Some great examples are cooking meals, helping them with homework, and even being the one to change the dirty diapers. These are all little things that will add up when you make a case for yourself, and your spouse will not have the evidence to prove otherwise.
For more info on winning a custody battle, be sure to work with a local divorce lawyer.
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