Should I Request Sole Child Custody In a Texas Divorce Case?

When parents work with Texas child custody attorneys to come up with a valid custody plan, it is common for at least one if not both to think that they want or deserve full custody.

In some instances, child custody lawyers find that the case for full custody and primary conservatorship can lead to emotional fighting and drag out the custody agreement process.

More importantly, many custody lawyers see that in the effort of trying to get what they perceive to be more and better, some parents lose focus on what is truly most important.

Family Circumstances Matter When Deciding On Custody

Parents working with their child custody attorneys to negotiate custody during a divorce must first consider family circumstances and how this can affect the making of these important decisions.

Two important considerations that child custody lawyers recommend parents weigh into the decision are:

Which parent is actually capable of providing the time to fulfill a sole custody role.
What is their true relationship with the child.

Everything from the child’s living environment to the parent’s ability to manage work and parenting should be examined to get an idea of which parent is more capable of holding primary conservatorship and then whether sole custody is even necessary.

In Texas, child custody law firms find that whenever possible, the family court prefers to support co-parenting and joint conservatorship.

What Is Truly In the Best Interest of the Child?

Beyond family circumstances, child custody attorneys do stress that ultimately, the main goal when determining custody and conservatorship in Texas is doing what is in the best interest of the child.

In most situations, doing so means joint custody so that the child may continue to develop good relationships with both parents.

Yet in instances where one parent presents a risk to the child or the living situation dictates otherwise, a parent could be awarded sole custody.

Child custody lawyers can help their clients recognize specific circumstances where sole custody might be warranted, such as the case of a special-needs child in which one parent is more capable of providing care; however, in most cases, there are few reasons for requesting it.

What Will A Judge Think?

Judges in the Texas family court have the duty to do what they believe will be in the best interest of the child.

They also prefer to rule that both parents have joint managing custody and conservatorship who will share living time and parenting responsibilities equally.

For one parent to get sole custody, that and his or her child custody lawyer must somehow show to the court why joint custody is not best for the child and sole custody is the better choice.

Should Parents Seek Sole Custody?

The most important decision that clients of child custody attorneys must always make when negotiating custody and conservatorship is what is really better for their child.

In some cases, that might truly be one parent having sole custody if there are valid reasons why this would be in their child’s best interest.

In many other cases, child custody lawyers find that the reasons are sometimes a bit selfish and based on what the parents themselves want.

The answer to the question of whether a parent should seek sole custody lies in a thorough knowledge of the child and the family situation, then being honest about it all.

Compassionate attorneys at an experienced child custody law firm can help parents make the decision that is best for their child and everyone else involved.