Do’s and Don’ts When Crafting a Child Custody Agreement
Getting a divorce may be a deeply difficult time for a couple. Yet, if there are children involved in the dissolving marriage, the couple’s children should take priority when it comes to important decisions during the divorce. If you and your spouse are in the midst of a divorce and are working through a child custody agreement, here are some key considerations that will help simplify the process.
Although many divorcing couples may bear ill emotions towards their soon-to-be-ex, creating a child custody agreement is an area of the divorce where emotional weapons can be laid down and family, once again, comes first.
Make Your Child’s Education a Priority
As you and your spouse are going through your divorce, make it a priority to stay involved in your children’s education and extracurricular activities. Your divorce is a trying time for your children, so ensuring that their education and development stay on track is crucial for future success as single parents.
Show your children they are your priority in the following ways:
- Attending extracurricular activities with your ex
- Scheduling weekly phone calls or emails with your children’s teachers
- Attending required school meetings
- Staying proactive and helping your child through any difficulties that may develop at school due to your divorce
Communicate for Successful Co-Parenting Plans
Although communication between divorcing parents may be difficult, it’s essential when creating a co-parenting plan. Surprises in a schedule are never a great way to keep things cordial. So, take the time to have essential conversations about subjects like:
- How you will coordinate the holidays
- Extracurricular activities your children plan on being involved in
- How to approach future romantic relationships
- Who is more equipped to be the primary caregiver
Prioritize Your Perception in the Courts
If your divorce is a contested issue and your child custody agreement relies on you becoming the primary caregiver of your children, make sure the courts can see how dedicated you are to your children.
How the court sees you communicate with your lawyer, children, and ex-spouse all have an influence on how you are perceived as a responsible parent.
Essentially, do everything you can both in and out of court to prove your dedication to your children. Everything matters right down to your appearance and how well you keep to scheduled visits with your children.
Avoid Dating During Divorce Proceedings
Right now, you may be feeling like it’s time to get out and start a new chapter of your life as soon as possible. While you’ll have plenty of chances to do so after your divorce is final, we can’t stress enough that you shouldn’t date during divorce proceedings.
As we’ve mentioned before, right now you need to prove to the courts that you are ready to put your children first. Jumping into a new relationship, bringing a significant other around your children, or even staying away from home for the night tells the courts that you are putting yourself first during your divorce.
While that may not be the case in your situation, keep in mind that the judge presiding over your case makes all of their final decisions based on the evidence they’ve acquired and witnessed while working on your divorce.
Don’t Ignore Court Requests
Sometimes the courts may request that one or both parties attend a form of counseling or therapy to work through their own issues. Although this may not be something that you personally want to do, ignoring this request shows the courts that you aren’t willing to go the extra mile to improve your situation for the sake of your children.
Child Custody Agreements
Sometimes parents need a little help crafting a fair child custody agreement. With the key considerations for child custody outline above, the family law lawyers at Nilsson Legal Group specialize in helping families make divorce decisions that favor the futures of their children.
Contact us today to learn more about our services or to schedule a free consultation with a member of our firm.