Does a Parent’s Availability Impact Child Custody?

Does a Parent’s Availability Impact Child Custody?

You may have heard that your availability to raise your child could impact whether you receive full child custody. When deciding who will have custody of a child, the judge will take many factors into consideration. Some of these factors may overlap and compete with each other. The overriding factor that all courts must consider is the best interests of the child standard. If you have concerns, consider talking with an Oklahoma City family lawyer to learn more.

How a Parent’s Availability Affects Custody

Judges take into account many factors when deciding which parent should have custody or whether parents should have joint custody of a child. A lot of the Does a Parent’s Availability Impact Child Custody?determining factors of child custody relate to serving the child’s well-being. That means protecting the child from harm and trying to make sure the child’s emotional needs are met.

Not only are the child’s practical needs considered like physical health and education, but so are the child’s psychological needs. This is the reasoning that makes judges also consider how available a parent will be after the divorce. A parent’s availability to raise the child can affect whether that parent receives custody.

Some parents may have more free time after the divorce while others may need to work full-time to support themselves. A parent who may not be as available as the other parent after the divorce may have fewer chances of receiving custody. However, past availability is also considered.

Judges will look at whether, in the past, how available a parent was to the child for:

  • Medical appointments
  • Schooling and homework
  • Spending personal time with the child

Looking at these helps a judge figure out whether a parent is likely to be able to provide for the child’s medical, education, and emotional needs. Many parents underestimate how much this can affect who receives custody.

Why Does Parental Availability Impact Custody?

The reason judges take availability so seriously is that they must abide by the best interests of the child standard. You might be wondering what this means. What the best interests of the child standard defends is the childs’:

  • Physical safety
  • Family integrity
  • Physical and mental health
  • Overall well-being
  • Protection from harm in the environment or from others

One of the overarching goals of using this standard is to increase the chances of the child growing up into a healthy, self-sufficient adult. Sending the child to an abusive or mostly absent parent who cannot care for needs like education could prevent this.

Try contacting an Oklahoma City divorce lawyer if you have concerns about any of the above information. A lawyer can help you figure out where you might stand in terms of child custody.

Divorce Lawyer in Oklahoma City

Not knowing whether you will receive custody of your child can be stressful. Feel free to ask an Oklahoma divorce attorney about ways you can increase your chances of custody. You can call the Putnam Law Office by dialing (405)-849-9149 for a consultation today. We will work with you to figure out what options you have available. Mr. Putnam is a dedicated attorney in Oklahoma City, OK who can defend the divorce outcomes you want.

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