There are few things more important to a parent than raising his or her child. If you recently got divorced, you should continue reading and speak with our experienced Bergen County family lawyers to learn more about preserving your parental rights.
Tips for Preserving Your Parental Rights
- Make sure you put your child’s needs first. Keep in mind that your child is going through your divorce as much as you are. However, they are younger and have less experience handling adversity than you do, which is why you must ensure you are always acting in your child’s best interests. This can include making sure your child has friends, does well in school, and, if need be, talks to a professional who can help them work through their feelings.
- Don’t get into arguments with your ex in front of your child. No child wants to see their parents fight. Though we do understand how hard it can be to act civil around your ex, doing so can help your child process the divorce and take refuge in the fact that both parents can still communicate and be there for them. You should also never trash talk your ex in front of your child or disparage them in any way.
- Make sure you are on time for all pick-ups and drop-offs. Sometimes, we’re late. There’s nothing wrong with occasionally being a few minutes late to pick up or drop off your child. However, if you are going to be late, you should always make a call and inform your ex that you will be late for whatever reason. Consistent lateness with pick-ups or drop-offs, is a problem. In the worst cases, such as when a parent refuses to return their child to the other parent, they may even face criminal charges of kidnapping, which can completely revoke their parental rights.
- Keep proof of what you do for your child. Though it may seem strange, documenting the things you do for your child may help you retain parental rights, should your ex ever call them into question. If you can prove, however, that you consistently took your child to school, studied with him, enrolled him in extracurricular activities, cooked for him, etc., then it will be rather difficult to prove that you aren’t acting in your child’s best interests.
Contact our experienced New Jersey firm
We understand how confusing certain legal issues can be, which is why we are dedicated to providing individuals with the compassionate and knowledgeable legal representation they deserve. Aronsohn, Weiner, Salerno & Kaufman has helped clients with various difficult legal challenges for over 40 years. We know we have the experience needed to do the same for you. For experienced legal counsel regarding family law, litigation, business law, real estate, and criminal law, you know where to turn–contact Aronsohn, Weiner, Salerno & Kaufman today to schedule a consultation.