In a custody dispute, there are often serious issues other than just who gets the children on what day. Common issues can include:
- Pickup and drop-off times and locations
- What do if one party’s vacation plans encroach on the other party’s custodial time
- Parents’ alcohol use
- A choice of counselors for the children, if the parties even agree that the children need counseling
- Grandparents’ visitation rights
Simply put, there are numerous roadblocks that can and do arise when trying to come up with a custody agreement. When I am discussing these issues with clients, I’m often times confronted with statements such as:
- “We need to fight this issue”
- or, “I will not agree to such and such proposal”
More often than not, the issues that clients decide to dig in on are relatively immaterial. Rather, the desire to fight about certain things very often stems from animosity between parties and not what is truly in the best interests of the children. Not only does the lack of compromise fail to advance what is best for the kids, it can be incredibly expensive. Every email or letter exchanged between the mother and father’s attorneys arguing about Monday being a better day than Tuesday for visitation and every version of the proposed custody order being reviewed, edited and sent back to the other side is costing the client’s money.
To be sure, certain issues such as the possibility of exposing the children to alcohol or drug abuse and making sure the children are getting the counseling they need are worth fighting for. Ultimately, however, every dollar spent fighting and paying lawyers is one less dollar available for your children.
If you have a custody issue, contact the attorneys at Mobilio Wood today.
