If you will soon be going through divorce proceedings, the top concern on your mind may be how custody is decided. Here are some things that can end up factoring into who will receive custody of your children.
Your Child's Standard Of Living
One thing that will be considered is the living situation that will continue your child's standard of living and cause the least amount of disruption. This may happen if one parent decides to move farther away from the other parent, and having the child live with the parent that moved will cause a lot of unnecessary changes. The child may have to change what school they are attending, and well as moving to a different house. Simply staying in the same location will cause the least amount of disruption, and can play a factor into child custody arrangement.
What Your Child Wants
Depending on your child's age, they may be asked by a judge which parent they want to live with. While your child's opinion will not be the final answer to custody arrangement, it can play a big role to a judge if they have good reasons for picking the parent they want to have custody. A judge still looks at other factors and will consider everything as a whole.
One thing to keep in mind is that you do not have to ask your child about their preferences. If you would prefer to leave your child out of the decision completely, that is perfectly understandable. That's because it can be heartbreaking for a child to give their opinion, only for the opposite to be happen after a judge decides what is best.
Your Personal Preferences
If you're ending your relationship on mutual terms, it's possible that you and your spouse have come to an agreement over what kind of custody situation that you want. Once you reach a decision, you can present it to a judge for them to give their approval. Chances are likely that a judge will listen to your personal preferences as long as they feel it is best for the child. For example, if you are seeking split custody, but one of the parents has a criminal record, a judge may decide that custody is awarded to the parent without the criminal record.
When you feel like you will need help winning a custody battle, know that you will have a better chance of winning by using a local child custody attorney.
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