During a child custody battle, it can be easy to get caught up watching your ex-spouse to see if they make any mistakes, growing unaware of the slipups you might be making. Since the court is paying close attention to both of you to try to determine who deserves primary custody rights, you really have to watch yourself closely, too. Just one misstep and you could find yourself at an outcome you hadn’t anticipated.
Consider this list of the top mistakes divorcés make during child custody disputes:
- Social media mishap: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and many more popular social media apps allow us to express ourselves freely at any time. If you usually go on there to angrily rant about things or post pictures of your wild parties, you should stop that behavior the moment you begin a divorce. As innocuous as it may have been in the past, the court could see your posts as indications of poor judgement, something it doesn’t want a custodial parent to possess.
- Temporary disobedience: While a divorce progresses, the court may create its own temporary child custody orders that stay in place until a final order is given. These interim orders are not suggestions and must be followed. If you ignore or otherwise violate a temporary custody order, your chances of getting a beneficial permanent order will be dramatically reduced.
- Tight lips sink ships: Communication is favorable during a divorce, whether you want to talk with your ex-spouse or not. Completely shutting down and cutting off your ex before the divorce is final shows the court you are unable to cooperate and may be hotheaded or impatient. Once again, the court is trying to find the “best” parent, and these are not personality traits it sees as positive.
- Put in cuffs: Perhaps one of the rarest of mistakes, getting arrested is certainly one of the most damaging. You don’t need to even be convicted of a crime to hurt your chances of gaining child custody, just being put in handcuffs will do. Refrain from any activity that could be seen as illegal or could reasonably lead to trouble, such as heavy drinking, while your divorce plays out.
Legal Help to Regain Your Footing
Have you made one or more of the aforementioned mistakes? Have you not but aren’t really sure what to do next in your divorce? No matter the circumstances of your family law dispute, the Fairfax divorce attorneys from Malinowski Hubbard, PLLC can help. Contact us today to learn about all the ways we can help you fight for your rights during a child custody battle.