Contested custody is rarely ever about the best interest of a child. It is most always about one or both parents pursuing their own self-interests of money, power, control, and or hatred. Children caught in the middle of their parents’ custody conflict suffer as they are abused as prizes and pawns.
False allegations of child abuse are a common strategy used to gain an advantage in contested custody cases. False allegations of abuse are an extreme form of parental alienation.
Parental alienation, where one parent tries to undermine, diminish, and or sever the child’s relationship with the other parent, is pervasive in contested custody. Parental alienation is child abuse and form of domestic violence. Parental alienation exacerbates suicide rates for children and targeted parents and can leave lifelong emotional scars for all.
Establishing a rebuttable presumption of equal parenting in best interest of the child statutes will prioritize the child’s best interest of having healthy, loving relationships with both parents over parents who pursue their own self-interest in contested custody.
Rebuttable presumption requires appropriate justification for a court to rule that a parent’s role in their child’s life be diminished, minimized, or removed. Requiring justification greatly minimizes if not eliminates an emotional parent’s ability to harm their child’s best interest of having healthy, loving relationships with both parents.
Without the method to gain greater custody, selfish incentives (money, power, control, hatred) lose much of their value as motives to unjustifiably fight over custody.
Life happens, circumstances change, and children grow. Parent-child relationships naturally ebb and flow in the best of times. As the equity between parents and both parent-child relationships are protected, children can develop with the love, support, and security of two healthy relationships with mom AND dad.
Children flourish, parents co-parent, and the well-being of all is greatly enhanced. Conflict and emotions quickly subside so mothers, fathers, and children thrive in life’s next chapters.
