Good Co-Parenting Skills Are a Must in Divorce
If you are ever in court on a child custody case, don't refer to your child as "my son" or "my daughter." Say "our son" or "our daughter" instead. Texas judges look for parents who demonstrate good co-parenting skills.
I'm Ryan Beason, a family law attorney in League City, Texas. Child custody is one of the most contested issues in divorce. However, saying negative things about your spouse or being too possessive of your children can send the wrong message to the judge about your ability to co-parent your child with your ex spouse.
Understanding Child Custody and Visitation in Texas
Child custody in Texas is referred to as conservatorship. In 90 percent of all child custody cases, judges order joint conservatorship. Sole conservatorship would only be appropriate in cases of abuse or when one parent does not offer a safe environment for the child.
Joint managing conservatorship does not mean that both parents will have the child 50 percent of the time. In most cases, one parent will be the primary managing conservator and the other parent will have access rights (also known as visitation). A standard visitation schedule is every other weekend, one evening during the week, alternating holidays, and an extended period during the summer. You can modify the standard schedule to meet your family's needs.
As joint managing conservators, both parents will share decisions about religion, school and health care.
Who Will Have Primary Child Custody?
Texas law is gender-neutral in terms of which parent should be primary managing conservator. However, many courts have a preference, called the tender years doctrine, which favors the mother when the children are small.
The judge in a family court case has great deal of discretion in deciding which parent should be the primary managing conservator and the judge's decision is very difficult to get reversed on appeal. However, child custody and support can be modified in the future if circumstances change.
Texas Child Support Guidelines: Child support in Texas is calculated according to a formula that considers the income of both parents, the number of children you support, and the possession order.
Free Lawyer Consultation
To schedule a consultation about child custody and parenting time with me, attorney Ryan Beason, call 281-968-0032 or complete the contact form on this Web site. My law office is located in the Marina View building at South Shore Harbour in League City, Texas.
