Navigating a child custody dispute can be tough given the contentiousness you can face. After all, the other parent might attack your character and your parenting abilities, doing everything they can to paint you in a negative light. But while coping with the realities of a custody fight can be hard for you, it can be even more challenging for your child. If your custody dispute is improperly handled and your child winds up caught in the middle of it all, then they can end up suffering otherwise avoidable trauma.
You certainly don’t want that to happen to your child. That’s why it’s imperative that you do what you can to shield them from the contentiousness of your custody battle. But what, specifically, can you do to keep your child safe?
Tips for protecting your child from a difficulty child custody dispute
At times, navigating a child custody dispute can leave you feeling hopeless. But you can reduce your fear, stress and uncertainty by entering the process fully prepared. This includes knowing how to protect your child’s safety and wellbeing. Here are some ways that you can do that:
- Remain focused on their best interests: In the heat of the moment, it can be easy to focus on personally attacking the other parent to get back at them. But this can lead to a custody outcome that isn’t right for your child. So, as you try to negotiate or litigate the custody issues before you, always keep your child’s best interests in mind.
- Refrain from using your child as a messenger: It might seem efficient to use your child to send messages to the other parent while also reducing the amount of conflict that you have to face, but doing so really puts your child in a difficult position. They might feel like they’re being forced to choose sides or that they’re responsible for the emotional response that the other parent exhibits upon receiving your message. This also increases the risk of both parents talking poorly about the other while in front of the child, which can warp their perception of reality and harm their image of and relationship with their parents.
- Helping your kid find ways to vent their emotions: Regardless of how hard you try to keep your kid out of your custody dispute, they’re bound to experience a wide array of emotions. Keeping these emotions bottled up can be bad for your child, so help them find outlets for what they’re feeling. This might include sports, art, journaling or even exploring nature. You and your child can get creative here.
- Focus on establishing routine and consistency: A child custody dispute can leave your child feeling like the world as they know it is disintegrating around them. You can help alleviate those feelings by providing your child with a sense of stability and consistency. So, try to coordinate with the other parent to establish consistent house rules and discipline structures, and try to do what you can to ensure that nothing changes as far as your child’s schooling and extracurricular activities are concerned.
Find an intelligent way to resolve your child custody dispute
You don’t have to be overly aggressive and nasty to fight for a fair outcome that’s best for your child. But you do have to be smart about how you approach your case. So, be thoughtful in gathering the evidence and crafting the legal arguments needed to advocate for your child’s best interests. If you’d like to learn more about how to do that, then we encourage you to continue to read our website and our blog.