Few situations in life invoke more tension or more strong emotions than cases dealing with children. Your children are your life, and you want them to be safe, secure, and happy. When there is a battle about custody, you feel like your life is getting ripped away from you.
Although strong emotions are always going to be a part of custody hearings, you want to approach the proceedings with a level head. If you are feeling overwhelmed about everything that goes on during the process, the following advice can provide help.
Remain Polite and Professional
The last thing you want to do when you disagree about custody is to put on your friendly face and be polite. However, you must maintain calm and civil during this process. You do not want to give the party any ammunition that they can use against you in the custody hearing.
You certainly do not need to be best friends with the other party, but learning how to communicate calmly is a skill that will help you both during child custody disputes and beyond. You will continue to be a part of each other’s lives because of your children, so learning how to communicate healthily now can benefit your relationship for years.
Seek Legal Assistance
From partial custody to stipulated agreements and supervised visitation, there are so many different things that can be a part of a custody decision. You’ll hear legal terms thrown out in court and with large stacks of paperwork, and it’s easy to be confused and even overwhelmed.
Fortunately, you do not have to navigate through child custody disputes alone when you seek professional legal counsel. The other party will more than likely be using an attorney, so you need someone on your side, too.
You might not have ever been in the legal system before, but an experienced attorney deals with these types of issues every day. From letting you know if stipulated agreements are a good fit in your case to helping you arrange a visitation schedule that is fair to both parties, you can rely on your attorney every step of the way.
It’s also priceless to have someone available to answer your questions knowledgeably. Although child custody disputes are quite tricky, it is possible to find a resolution that works well for the most important people involved in the case: the children.