[O]ne of our favorite topics at DGC is giving Dads tips on how you can gain child custody of your children, either jointly, or (our preference in most cases) sole custody.
Following them will not only give you an advantage in court, but provide you a confidence, insight, and maturity in dealing with your children. We understand you can’t incorporate all these recommendations, and maybe you shouldn’t but following even a few of them will reap you big benefits.
Four Tips that Will Gain You Child Custody
1) Document Time with your Children.
It’s always advisable to place pictures of you and your children around your home. But take it one step further. Videos add context and depth to a situation. They will also help refute negative reporting from the custody evaluator.
2) Your Kids Need their Own Room.
If you can swing it, have a room that can easily be converted into a child’s bedroom. Failure to do so, especially if you have the resources, will make you look more like a bachelor than a Dad. Also, extended family involvement in you and your child’s activities can help them serve as credible witnesses.
[tweet “Custody Tip: Be an Adult, Not Just a Fun Dad.”]
3) Be an Adult, Not Just a Fun Dad.
Yes, you want to win over your children. But taking them to Disneyland every weekend isn’t the way to do it. Although tempting, especially if you only have your children for a short time, it’s not the actions of an adult. It’s the small but important acts such as giving your children baths and tucking them in at night that sways a judge.
4) Exercise ALL Your Visitation Rights.
Remember that you are the Dad. Your rights come before grandma, grandpa, stepdad, and everyone else (except for Mom). You should also try and build a cordial relationship with the Mom. Remember to love your child more than you hate your Ex.
Most of these tips require no money and involves little inconvenience. They do require effort, but again, the odds are it will pay off in a big way.
Paid feature Image from Adobe Stock photos.
I struggle with the last comment about your time comes before…. grandma, grandpa, stepdad.
Many states child custody guidelines state that the other parent should be offered the time before the child is cared for by a babysitter. They define babysitter as someone who lives outside the home and is not blood related or married to. So stepparents become an extension of the parent just like mom/dad when married are extensions of each other. So a stepdad living with his stepchild shouldn’t be overlooked or treated as a babysitter.
Jess, first and foremost, I AGREE with you completely and support this line of thinking. However, in reality, during a contested custody case from which the kids are spending more time with the stepparent verses the biological non-custodial parent, I have seen many a judge consider this wrong and feel the bio parent has priority over the stepparent in addressing care of the child. Step-parents are the unsung heroes of blended kids and sadly their rights (or lack of them) is a topic for another conversation. That’s the point I was making here. Thanks for the comment.