Custody battles and how they affect the children

On behalf of Furr & Cohen, P.A. posted in Child Custody on Friday, November 20, 2015.

At any given time, parents across the state of Florida and the rest of the country are engaged in custody battles over the children. Some of these parents are also going through divorces at the same time, but others may never have married or may have divorced several years ago only to find themselves back in court due to a change in someone’s circumstance.

While both parents in these situations often believe they are doing what is right for their children, it can be very easy to get caught up in “winning” and lose sight of what is actually in the children’s best interests. Children are affected by any type of argument over custody. They can feel caught in the crossfire or like they are being forced to choose sides and can even end up having difficulty in school or acting out as a result.

The courts generally recognize that children do better in the vast majority of situations if given as much access to both parents as possible. While a 50/50 time split is not always practical or realistic, it’s best if the parents can go to as many of the child’s activities together and act in a civil manner during holidays, school functions and even weekly custody exchanges.

When parents go to court, it is automatically an adversarial process. One side wants one thing, and the other something different, and both are equally convinced that their side is “right.” However, it’s important to regularly evaluate your motives and behaviors throughout the process to ensure that you aren’t acting out of spite or anger toward your ex.

Source: Huffington Post, “Parents Should Think Twice Before Engaging in a Custody Battle Over Their Children” Mark Baer, accessed Nov. 20, 2015