Six Critical Tips to Follow During Custody Exchanges

It's no surprise that most divorces result in at least some anger and bitterness, often lingering long after the divorce is over. Of course, a great many spouses would not be mad if they never had to see their ex-partner again, but healthy parenting cannot stop in the wake of a divorce. Protecting children from emotional and mental strife after the marriage has ended is vitally crucial for their continued emotional and mental health and well-being. Unfortunately, this can often lead to immense challenges for dissolved couples when making regular custody exchanges.

Many issues can arise during these exchanges that can potentially harm your child's mental health and emotional well-being. Therefore, it is essential to be prepared to refrain from getting pulled into an argument or fight during the process of a custody exchange. Here are some great tips from our family law practice for following parenting agreements in Orlando to ensure your custody exchanges are as easy and painless as humanly possible.

1. Always remember to bring everything that your children will need so that your ex has no fuel for an argument or for approaching the court to alter the custody agreement in their favor in the future.
2. Make these exchanges in public places like police stations, libraries, courthouses, or schools. Public places make it much more difficult for your ex-partner to act foolish and cause an argument that can potentially damage the children or the custody agreement you currently have in place.
3. Be extra careful not to allow your ex to bait you into a disagreement. Being cordial in the face of an ex-partner's anger and bitterness is a great way to avoid the issues that can hurt your precious children or work in your ex's favor to alter a current custody order.
4. Bring someone along with you during the exchanges to help keep things civil. A third party can diffuse the possibility of problems that could arise from fighting with your ex-partner in front of your children and avoid any possible damage to the custody agreement put in place by the courts.
5. Consider having a friend or family member make the exchanges on your behalf. Having someone make exchanges on your behalf is beneficial to you and the children because it is guaranteed to avoid the possibility of any emotional damage that disagreements during the exchange can often foster.
6. Always have the children at the exchange on time to avoid potential repercussions. Arriving on time and well prepared makes it very difficult for your ex-life mate to find any fuel for fighting or even requesting a change to the current custody order you have in place.

The animosity between you and your ex will likely lessen over time. Still, it is always essential to avoid putting your kids or yourself at risk of violence or mental and emotional instability during the custody exchanges. An attorney is an excellent resource for help if you continue to experience difficulty with your custody swaps. We specialize in such advice with a family law practice that can assist with parenting agreements in Orlando when professional expertise is needed.