3 Mistakes to Avoid During Child Custody Litigation

Going through a child custody battle may be one of the most stressful experiences of your life. You may feel like everything is on the line. In your heart, you feel like you deserve as much custody or visitation as possible. But how you conduct yourself during child custody litigation is a significant determining factor in how the cards fall.

There are some crucial mistakes that are easy to make during a custody proceeding. Read below to learn about some common pitfalls to avoid as you go through child custody actions.

1. Talking badly about your ex to your kids

You may feel a lot of anger and resentment towards your ex, but you should avoid letting it out around your children. According to the Huffington Post, judges in a child custody case usually favor a parent who supports the relationship between the kids and the other parent. If you disparage the other parent and negatively influence the parent-child relationship, you will damage your chances at a favorable custody outcome.

2. Abusing alcohol or drugs

If you regularly misuse alcohol or drugs, you will probably have a hard time winning custody. Make sure your ex has no allegations to use against you because judges take these parental fitness issues seriously. If you do have a problem with substance abuse, make sure you seek treatment and remain sober to show your commitment to a change in lifestyle.

3. Being an inactive parent

Do you take your kids to the doctor? Have you recently attended school events or parent-teacher conferences? If your answer is no, then you may have trouble proving that you deserve custody. Make sure you are actively present in the activities your child partakes in.

Sometimes the key to winning a custody case is what you do not do. Be sure to take these warnings to heart and refrain from making these mistakes.