Child Custody Laws in Texas
When preparing for a custody dispute in Texas, father and mother need to be thinking fundamentally about what is in the best interests of the progeny, for this is what the judge will be focusing on. Guardians or parents do have rights under Texas law, but it is the needs and rights of the child that are of utmost importance in custody cases, and these will be the essential factors upon which the court will attempt to base the decision.
As recorded in section 153.002 of the Texas Family Code, usually, parents are considered to be equal in their entitlement to parent their child, so the rights of parents is not likely to be significant. It is the best interests of the child that are important, and the aim of Texas law (as seen in Section 153.00) is to:
(1) Make certain that children will have repeated and continuing contact with parents who have shown the ability to act in the best interest of the progeny.
(2) Support a safe, stable, and non-abusive home environment for the little ones; and
(3) Encourage parents to share in the rights and responsibilities of raising their children after the parents have put their relationship on hold or dissolved their legal marriage. If you are a mum or dad who is getting ready for (or even contemplating) a custody suit, you would do well to bear this in mind at all times.
You will not be able to bring together a solid case for custody of your child unless you can show how you having custody will be in their best interests. Giving primary consideration to your children will also play a defining role in many other key areas of your life, at least until the child custody rights have been worked out.
These areas include:
(1) Where you set up house. While it might be tempting to move as far away from your estranged partner as possible, this is seldom going to be in the best interests of the progeny.
(2) How you deal with your own emotional stress. While you might feel that you depend on the presence of
your little ones to help you get through the damage of the divorce, be aware of the fact that your children are simply not ready to deal with the range of emotions experienced by an adult, and that unloading your personal troubles on them is not simply unhelpful, but can be a form of abuse!
(3) Considering how you speak to your former partner. In a similar vein, mom and dad organizing yourself for custody hearings before the court of Texas must be mindful of the extraordinary injury that they can do through cursing their Ex in front of the children. Such behaviour not only does damage to child and parents alike, but it may also be factored in by the family court, where a noticeable failure in self-control may be taken as an indicator of an inability to function properly as a parent!
Please click the image opposite to learn more about Texas Child Custody law. |
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For more information on Texas Child Custody Rights: http://www.texaschild-custody.com
