We’ve all heard the stories of the picture-perfect father losing custody of his children to the less-than-capable mother. It happens every day, and it seems like the vast majority of divorces lead to the couple’s children living with their mother.
This is the sad reality that many men face, but you can get custody of your kids.
There are few things that you can do to get custody of your kids, and we’ll also be discussing a few other recommendations if custody has already been granted to your spouse, but you would still like to regain custody.
Build a Strong Relationship
You need to build a strong relationship with your children. This is especially true as they grow older. Your children will have to have a good relationship with the parent they live with, and you want to be involved in their life even if you don’t have custody of them at this time. This means calling and ensuring that your children have everything they need while also playing an integral role in their life.
Go to school events and social gatherings with your children.
This will demonstrate that you are an active parent, and will be a consideration when you go to request child custody.
Adjust Your Work Schedule
Many households have both a male and female working full-time jobs. But there are also many households that only have the father working to support the family. In this case, the court may look at your rigorous work schedule and decided there is no possible way that you can spend time with your kids and still ensure that they are properly cared for.
In this event, you may need to adjust your work schedule to work less, or travel less often.
The courts want to make sure that you are very active in your child’s life, and if you’re working day and night, this will be impossible.
Custody After Visitation is Granted
You’ve just heard from your lawyer that you have been granted visitation rights to see your children, but you do not have a 50-50 custodial agreement in place. This may seem like bad news, but it will allow you to work on your relationship with your children.
If you want to convince the judge that you should have custodial rights to your child, you’ll want to:
- Make your children a priority, and always adhere to visitation schedules.
- Be as active as possible in your child’s life.
- Attend your child’s school meetings and parent events when possible.
- Show the courts you’re making an effort to spend time with your child and being a parent.
- Ensure that you maintain alimony or child support payments in an effort to care for your children.
There are a lot of factors that go into getting custody of your child. It is recommended that you discuss your options with a divorce lawyer, and that you work diligently to be the best parent that you can. Even if visitation is only granted, at least you’re allowed to see your kids and spend time with them on a routine basis.
The Micklin Law Group, LLC is a New Jersey law firm focusing exclusively on family law for men and fathers. Attorney Brad Micklin was recently named to The National Advocates list of Top 100 attorneys from each state. To set up a consultation, call 973-562-0100.
