Tips For A Child Custody Hearing: When going through a divorce in Texas, parents will likely need to address custody and visitation matters. The ideal scenario is to negotiate a legally binding agreement with the help of attorneys. However, if an agreement cannot be reached, the custody battle may go to court where the judge will use the child’s best interests as the standard for decision-making. To increase the chances of being viewed as the best parent in this situation, there are certain tips that people can follow.

Although it seems superficial, parents should take care with their appearance for the custody hearing. They should also be polite and observe court etiquette. Parents who have documentation that can support their claim that they are the best choice for custody should bring it to the hearing. A judge will also take into account a parent’s willingness to cooperate with the other parent.

Whatever decision the judge makes, it is likely that the parent who is not granted custody will be given ample visitation time. It is important for parents to maintain a relationship with their children, and the noncustodial parent should try to set aside their animosity and work toward a functional coparenting relationship. Creating a parenting agreement may help with this.

Parents may need to work out agreements about how drop-offs and pickups of children will occur as well as other issues that can be covered in the parenting agreement. For example, parents may want to make an agreement about when children can meet their new partners. A parenting agreement might also cover who will be responsible for taking the children to certain extracurricular activities, arrangements for vacations, and even preferences about the child’s bedtime and other issues.

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