Divorce causes parents to experience deep concern about the prospect of losing access to their children. Many couples in Maryland and Washington D.C. decide to forego divorce until their kids are adults to prevent such a possibility.
You are right to take your child custody proceedings seriously, but you probably don’t need to fear losing your custody or parenting time rights. Modern family courts strive to ensure children have meaningful time with each parent and rarely remove parent access.
“Mothers always get preferential treatment”
For fathers, this is one of the greatest fears that can arise during a divorce. Many men still believe in the enduring myth that courts favor moms over dads when determining physical and legal child custody. Family courts recognize that kids benefit greatly from having a stable father participate in their lives and rarely make decisions that exclude dads.
“Custodial parents can do what they want with the kids”
Parents often feel vulnerable to unfair treatment if they fail to obtain primary or legal custody of their children. They often fear the other parent will move the kids to another country or refuse to honor their visitation rights. In reality, the custodial parent has no right to exclude you from your child’s life, and they certainly cannot take the kids away from you altogether.
Remember, the details of your child custody and parenting time arrangements are contained in a binding court order. That means neither you nor your co-parent may violate its terms, at least not lawfully.
Forget about the myths and rumors you may hear when divorcing. Instead, learn more about the divorce and child custody laws in your region.
