What You Need to Know About Child Custody Battles

Written by Anthony Piccirilli

Child custody cases are never easy, and they often lead to an emotional and trying time. If one of the parents has decided to contest the other parent’s right to be with the kids, their negotiations can become a full-blown child custody battle.

If you find yourself fighting for your rightful time that you have with your child, a Pittsburgh child custody lawyer at Pittsburgh Divorce & Family Law, LLC can help. Our compassionate team has experience mediating custody situations, and we can help draft a fair agreement. To set up a consultation, contact us at (412) 471-5100.

The Truth About Child Custody Battles

Before you decide to take your child’s other parent on in a custody battle, you should try to consider the following aspects:

• They are expensive. When the court has a “fully contested case,” or one where the parents will not agree, things can get costly. To gather enough information, the court may need to ask experts to evaluate the mental health status of each parent. For children who are too young to fully understand the process, a Guardian Ad Litem may step in and represent the child. All of these experts cost money, and the parents will be responsible for those costs. If you add that to your child custody lawyer fees and other court costs, your child custody battle quickly becomes expensive.
• They can continue for months. Anything that is called a “battle” is not likely to be over quickly. If two parents are angry with each other, they are less agreeable to each other’s demands, often making the child custody process last much longer than it needs to. To judge the character of each parent, as well as their relationship with their kids, the court may need to conduct several interviews. These interviews can be with family members, teachers, clergy, or anyone else that interacts with you and your child on a regular basis. Besides making your custody issues public knowledge, these interviews will force your case to drag on for several months or maybe even years.
• It can hurt your kids. If one parent is attempting to limit the time the other parent gets to be with the children, a court will need to know why. To find out, they may turn to experts who evaluate the relationship between the parents and their kids. During this process, these experts might want to interview the children and ask them many uncomfortable and complicated questions. On top of these interviews, the children must deal with two angry parents who may be unable to sit in a room together without yelling and arguing. Often, a parent may question the children about the other parent’s behaviors and actions, which only leads to more stress on the kids. In a child custody battle, children can end up with emotional scars that could last a lifetime.
• In the end, no one wins. Even though you make it to the end of a custody battle, it won’t necessarily feel like a victory. Often, one parent ends up feeling like they lost, while the other parent won. To avoid this issue, you may consider using a mediator for your case. Mediators are trained to work with parents on sensitive issues like custody, so they can help your child custody case progress. Best of all, you can work on a solution that is customized to your specific needs, instead of relying on strangers in a courtroom to tell you what’s best for your own family.

Pittsburgh Divorce & Family Law, LLC Can Help

At Pittsburgh Divorce & Family Law, LLC, our experience has shown us firsthand how harmful it can be for children to have their parents fighting over them. Instead, we encourage thoughtful discussion and compromise. The sooner you and your child’s other parent can negotiate terms, the sooner you can be free of having to deal with each other. It’s important to remember that while custody battles are challenging for you, they are hardest on your kids.

An experienced Pittsburgh child custody lawyer can help you through your custody battle. Contact us today at (412) 471-5100 for a consultation.