This is easy to do. If you love your child, you may want to do the opposite of things on this list.
- Do not attend court hearings about custody or visitation.
- Ignore requests to meet with your child’s Guardian ad Litem (the lawyer appointed by a judge to learn about your child and make recommendations to the court about what would be best for your child).
- Never meet your child’s teachers or child care providers.
- Never attend your child’s soccer games, musical performances, or other activities.
- Arrive late for scheduled visits with your child.
- Return your child to the other parent late with little or no advance notice and no good reason.
- Frequently cancel or miss scheduled visits with your child.
- When your child is in your care, ignore the child and focus your attention on your boyfriend or girlfriend.
- Do not bother to feed your child healthful foods.
- Ignore your child’s need for a predictable sleep schedule.
- Never phone your child or send holiday presents to your child.
- Curse and criticize your ex at high volume in front of your child and other witnesses.
- Send hostile email and text messages to your ex.
You get the idea. Follow this advice, and you will make it easy for a judge to award sole legal and physical custody of your child to your ex. If you want to stay involved and have influence in your child’s life, and your ex is making that difficult, you may want to work with a family mediator and/or an attorney.
This site is for informational purposes only. Nothing here should be construed as legal advice. Virginia L Colin, Ph.D. is a Professional Family Mediator certified by the Virginia Supreme Court. She is not an attorney or a therapist.
