Four Mistakes to Avoid When You Fight for Custody

With no doubt, divorce is believed to be one of the most stressful and overwhelming stages of some people’s lives, and rightly so. This is particularly so with those couples who cannot reach an understanding regarding child custody issues and thus cannot get divorce papers online. The stress these divorcees experience is usually linked to their many concerns about their role in their children’s lives, the time their children will spend with another co-parent, etc.

If two people, who have kids in common, cannot pull together to come up with a parenting plan amicably, they cannot use a divorce do it yourself kit. Truth be told, they have nothing to do but to have their case settled in court. If this happens to you, your children’s future will be put into the hands of a judge who will act with your children’s best interests in mind. And before he or she can draft a recommended custodial plan, each parent’s claims and available evidence must be assessed as is right and proper. Unfortunately, it happens that good moms and dads are classified as neglectful simply because they have made some of the following mistakes made by many parents who find themselves in the middle of a child custody battle:

Refusing to find common ground with another parent

No matter how poorly you think of your soon-to-be ex-spouse, you should avoid making the mistake of putting your negative feelings above your kids’ best interests. If you refuse to pull together with your former better half for the sake of your children, a judge may think that you cannot care less about their wellbeing and everything you have on your mind is a monumental desire for revenge. Instead, do your best to reach an understanding with the other parent so that you two can have constructive dialogues. If your emotions run high, think about getting a divorce lawyer who will not only help you with every divorce paper form but also take on all negotiations and give you a piece of advice about when it is better to take the middle path and when it is better to contend.

 Inappropriate social media behavior

Almost all people have social media accounts and you may have one, too. As soon as you fill out your first  Maine divorce paper form (either with onlinedivorcer.com/online-divorce-maine  or with lawyer’s assistance)  it is time to start watching your online behavior carefully. Since your profile is completely public, you cannot use it for venting your frustrations and badmouthing your soon-to-be ex-spouse.    All you post on the Internet is very likely to come to light in court. If your social media activity makes a judge form a bad opinion of your behavior or your influence on your kids, – photos of you drinking alcohol and doing drugs or posts vituperating against your former partner – you have very few chances to win the battle.

In a nutshell, you shouldn’t share anything provocative on the Internet, especially if you don’t want it to be brought up later on. However, if you have already posted something unpleasant, don’t try to get rid of it. Everything you post is considered the evidence and thus your decision to delete it may have legal consequences. Inform your lawyer about your online behavior so that he or she can take care of everything in time.

Making Wrongful Accusations when Questioned

When you meet a family reporter face-to-face and get questioned, make sure that you keep a distance. This person is not your friend and going into personals when it comes to your soon-to-be ex-spouse is a big mistake. Truth be told, this person is here to judge you, assess your personality, and determine whether or not you can parent your children effectively. So, don’t even try to hammer another parent for cutting the cheese in public, listening to horrible music, watching boring TV shows, etc. You should better watch your mouth.

When you are asked to come up with your concerns regarding your former partner, think about a compliment sandwich. So, start with something good about your partner, proceed with what you would like to change in your former beloved person, and then finish with a phrase that “everybody wants to believe that he or she will change for the better for the sake of your little ones”.

Lying about your addiction issues

Heavy drinking and drug use are pretty much the first issues that may be used against you. Of course, it is better if you don’t have any problems with alcohol and drugs; however, we all are far from perfect, and if you haven’t been clean for a while, at least don’t lie about it. Truth be told, a judge doesn’t care about your well-being so much as about how your abuse may affect your children’s well-being and your parenting skills.

If you have overcome your addiction, don’t neglect to inform everybody about your shady past in your very first statement. Provide the smallest details, such as when was the last time you used drugs or drank, what exactly you consumed, and why and what made you quit. It also makes sense to take a drug test. This is how you can protect yourself from any accusation thrown at you in court.

If you haven’t quit yet, then do your best to explain how much, when and where you drink or take drugs and who looks after your kids when you are high or wasted. Try to get addiction counseling or go to rehab. If you need treatment, likely, your matter will not be finalized until you are done.

Remember that nobody in court is concerned about your past. What matters most is that you are fine today and nothing can prevent you from parenting your kids as is right and proper. So, instead of lying about your problems, take your time to deal with them.

Bio: Author Bio Greg Semmit has years of experience working with different types of legal documents and writing about Family Law for educational purposes. Currently, he is working at OnlineDivorcer company, where he writing blog articles about divorce and divorce cases. In his free time, he likes roaming the streets of New York with his Olympus taking photos of the best spots in the city.