When dealing with child custody, most people think that the mother always gets custody of the child(ren)… that isn’t always the case. Even though it may seem that way from an outsider’s point of view, the court’s job is to act in the best interest of the child(ren).
With divorce on the rise, there has been an increase in the number of single fathers in our society. The number of single fathers who have been awarded sole custody of their child(ren)has increased to about 15% since 1995. There are more fathers in our society who are more willing and able to take on the responsibility of being the primary caregiver and are awarded custody in family court.
When dealing with custody, the main thing, that can’t be stressed enough, is to make the transition from a two-parent household to a single parent household as smooth as possible. If the child(ren) have a daily routine, it is important not to disrupt that when they are going from one parent’s house to the other.
When dealing with a child custody case, there are a lot more issues that fathers, more than mothers, have to face. Being a single father is a totally different experience. When presenting in court, you need to show the court that you can provide an emotionally stable and safe environment for your child(ren) to live in. If there’s any unpredictability or things in the environment that could possibly put stress on your child(ren), it could lead to allegations by the mother, false or otherwise, as to the stability of your household.
Allegations of child abuse, child endangerment, false reports to Child Protective Service are not uncommon in bitter custody battles. Temporary restraining orders, supervised visitations, and not being able to spend quality time with your child(ren) are some of the issues that fathers will have to be prepared for as well as be able to defend in court.
Parental alienation and cases where the parent moves away from the other parent are other issues as well. Parental alienation is when one parent says things to the child(ren) about the other parent in order to turn them against the other parent. This can be done by either parent, some cases being more severe than others. In more severe cases, the child(ren) can become brainwashed against the other parent for no valid reason, other than to be vindictive and mean for the parent’s personal gain. This is referred to as Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS). Move away cases also can be done by either parent. This is when the primary caregiver of the child(ren) relocates a certain distance away from the other parent so that the child(ren) and their routine has to be modified.
More fathers are winning child custody cases because they are equipping themselves with knowledge, solid documetation of all accounts between parents, and learning how to use the information that they gather to be more effective when presenting what they have to make the strongest case possible. Fathers are also taking parenting classes so that they will be able to be a more effective parent for their child(ren).