Unless the court determines that the children are not safe in your care, typically both parents have allocated parenting time with the minor children. However, the court will take into consideration the actions taken by both you and your spouse while the case is ongoing. If you and the other parent cannot agree, the court will make the decision about what is best for your children.
With that in mind, here are a few things not to do:
- Talk about your spouse in a negative or insulting fashion. Don’t do it in texts, emails, conversations with the children, or statements in court.
- Keep rescheduling when you’ll see the children. Doing this even before an official ruling has been made just makes you look unstable. It can also make it look like you do not care.
- Be late when you’re supposed to pick the children up or drop them back off. Again, it’s all about showing that you care about your time with them and you can keep a schedule.
- Get in trouble with the law. Any issue you have with law enforcement during the pendency of your case can have a huge negative impact on your case. Especially detrimental are any charges that make it appear that the children would not be safe with you, like driving while you’re intoxicated with them in the car.
These tips can help you know what mistakes to avoid, but this is still a complicated process with much on the line, so you need to know all of the legal steps you can take.
