If you have always been the primary caretaker of your children it can come as a shock to learn that you may end up having to share physical placements. The court system no longer automatically gives mothers primary custody of their children, nor does it maintain previous custody arrangements if it finds that it is not in the best interest of the children. While you may have to split parenting time with the other parent, you can retain physical child custody if you show that the children are in the most ideal setting. Follow these four tips so that you can outline how you are a capable parent who is willing to put your children first an increase your chances of gaining sole physical placement.
1. Make Education A Main Priority - Ensuring that your children do their homework and get to school on time is one of the easiest things that you can do to establish that you are a responsible parent. Maintaining a relationship with their teachers, chaperoning on field trips, and volunteering to help out when you can will aid you in getting to know the staff at your children's school better. If you are able to show that you play an instrumental role in your children's education, you will have a major advantage when you present your case for sole child custody in family court.
2. Take Charge Of Your Children's Health - You can pay for your children's health insurance coverage but if you're not the parent scheduling doctor's appointments, you can't say that you are actively involved in maintaining their health. Keep the receipts for all medications purchased and schedule appointments with their dentists so that you have records to prove that you care about your children's health and well being.
3. Get Your Family Involved In Outside Activities - Activities such as attending church or even enrolling at a local gym will help to show the court that you spend time together as a family unit. Not only should your children be free to sign up for after school activities, they should also know that their parents are going to be involved. If you want to make a strong case for sole child custody you need to be able to prove that your influence is important in your child's life.
4. Maintain A Record Of Everything - From your children's shot records to all written communications between the other parent and yourself, you have to be able to show the court that you are able to support every fact that make. Sometimes litigants in family court can exaggerate or make false claims in an effort to make their cases stronger, which makes judge leery of believing bold statements unless there is supporting evidence. If you say that you take your child to all of his or her soccer games, provide pictures of each corresponding date. If you say that you make all childcare arrangements, come to family court with your receipts ready.
You may feel that you have an overwhelming amount of paperwork and documents to show, but when it comes to gaining sold child custody, you can never be too prepared. For more information, contact a company like Kalasnik Law Office.
Share12 May 2017
