Judges consider many aspects of a child’s life when making custody decisions. Child custody is one of the most important types of cases judges handle because they have such a huge impact on the lives of children.
Due to this, the court takes custody matters seriously. FindLaw explains the court considers everything from your relationship with your child to your life choices when making a ruling.
Bad decisions
Mistakes you have made or bad decisions in your life can come back to haunt you during a custody case. A judge will consider things such as criminal history and substance abuse issues. He or she wants to ensure your child will not have exposure to such things that could cause him or her harm.
Involvement
Simply having a biological connection does not make you a good parent. The court wants to see your involvement with raising the child. Did you ever take him or her to the doctor’s office? Have you attended school functions? The court wants to see your level of involvement in the daily needs of the child as well.
Willingness to participate
The court also wants to see that you are willing to do what you need to do to have custody rights. This might include just showing up to court hearings or attending parenting classes. You also want to show that you want to cooperate with the other parent. A judge will look critically at a parent who is always causing arguments with the other parent or who insists the other parent is unfit when there is no evidence to show that is true.
Cooperating, building a solid relationship and being able to admit your past mistakes can help you in your custody case to show the court you are a good parent who has his or her child’s best interests in mind.
