Three universal tips for all child custody cases

People who have children and are going through a divorce will have a host of advice to sort through. Everyone has their own ways of doing things, which is why there are so many different kinds of advice that will come to you during your divorce.

No matter what kind of divorce you’re going through, contentious or amicable, there are a few pieces of advice that can help you and your children as you go through the process.

Try your best to keep the peace. Your children don’t need to see constant fighting and arguing. Instead, they need to be able see that adults can behave in a respectful way even when things aren’t perfect. Never speak negatively of your ex when your children are around. Your kids count on both parents to be able to support them. When you say bad things about your ex, that might change your child’s perception of you, your ex, themselves or all three.

Try to get everything with child custody set as quickly as possible. Temporary orders are possible if it is taking you a bit of time to get everything hashed out with the actual divorce. Ideally, you will be able to keep many things consistent. For example, a toddler might be able to keep the same bedtime routine and time that they’ve always had.

Work with your children to find out what they need. They aren’t miniature adults, which means that they might be having trouble processing the events. Talk to them, and listen carefully to what they have to say. You might be able to find some ways that you can make things a bit easier for them.