One of the primary factors for the court to consider in determining custody is the issue of stability. A judge must decide what custody arrangement is appropriate in any given case by determining what is in the best interests of the child(ren). Stability is an important element in determining the best interests of a child. The parent that can provide the more stabile environment for the children will often be the one who is awarded primary or more physical custody. In some cases both parents can provide stability and it is not unheard of by any means for a joint custody arrangement to be the most stabile situation. Sometimes both parents work full time schedules but different times so the most stabile situation would be custody for both parents on their respective times off. If you are seeking to get custody of your children, it is important you be able to show that you provide the more stability. This could have a big impact on certain decisions that you make. For instance, some clients up and move to not so good situations such as hotels or otherwise just to get away from their spouse. Before you do this, you should consider how this may look to a judge and foremost if the new living situation is going to be in the best interests of the children and provide a stable and safe environment.
The Status Quo
Maintaining the status quo for children can be important and have a substantial impact on a custody decision. If you have been the primary care taker of the children and are comfortable with a custody arrangement that has been followed great. If you are not comfortable with a current custody arrangement, you should work to change that before a court is faced with the decision. A judge may look at the current situation and decide to maintain it if the children are well adjusted. Often people separate and start following a custody arrangement they do not like but do it anyway because of pressure they feel from a spouse. In our opinion, if you know that a certain arrangement is in the best interests of your children and is what you really desire, you should fight for it up front. Don’t feel you have to give anything away for the sake of compromise if it would not be good thing for the kids. At the end of the day every parent needs to act in accordance with the best interests of the kids.
Call us Today
Parents often have many questions about custody and the rights with their children. Do not hesitate to call and speak with a Utah Divorce Lawyer at our firm now. We take calls at all hours of the day and night and work hard to provide the community in which we work with sound legal advice and service. Nothing is as important in any divorce as the well being of minor children, especially those who are very young. Call us today to get the advice and experience you need to make a good decision on children’s behalf.
