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Are you the type of person who quickly rebounds from negative situations, keeps your eyes on the future and never looks back? Perhaps, you are among those whose emotions are a driving force, which sometimes causes lingering sadness when things go wrong, causing you to take a longer time than most to recover.

A key to avoiding long-lasting consequences to upsetting situations, such as divorce or custody proceedings, is to build a strong support network to help you address various issues as they arise.

No matter where you fall between the two personality descriptions given at the start of this post, you can take comfort in knowing that when life throws a curve ball, there’s no such thing as too much strong support. Of course, if there’s a way you can avoid major problems at the start, you’d no doubt want to go that route, right?

Regarding custody issues, the more you understand your rights and state laws ahead of time, the less stressful custody proceedings may be.

Think about custody decisions before heading to court

If you walk into court without ever having considered child custody issues, you may be caught off-guard by some negative surprises. The following list includes factors for consideration that may not only apply to your personal situation but may also help you resolve some issues before you ever get to court:

• Will you request sole legal custody or joint legal custody of your children? Do you know the difference?
• Legal custody pertains to the decision-making process, in essence, which parent is able to make decisions on children’s behalves, regarding medical issues, education, religion, etc.
• If you believe your former spouse is unfit to make such decisions and can show the court evidence to substantiate your claim, you may want to request sole legal custody.
• Substance addiction, child abuse and other such matters may constitute issues that the court would consider a detriment to your children’s well-being.
• If you and the other parent are unable to resolve custody issues on your own, the court will intervene to make the decisions.

Like most good parents in Louisiana or beyond, you have your children’s best interests in mind. In addition to family members and friends who can provide encouragement and support as you try to achieve a fair and agreeable co-parenting plan, you can reach out for experienced guidance support as well, especially if you need help to protect your parental rights.