You are getting divorced. But, you can’t just leave your kids like that. No parents in their proper state of mind would want to leave their children to their ex. Your husband/wife would surely want to have custody over the kids, too. Do you stand a chance of getting the court’s decide in your favour?

Here are few tips to help you boost your chance of winning the case against your ex.

• Assess your capabilities. Naturally the court will decide base on who is the better parent by these criteria.

• Stable job or income. You have to show the court that you can well provide your kids with their basic needs such as good education, comfortable home, decent clothes and healthy food. In short you must be financially fit. One of the factors why some parents lost custody over their kids is because they are not financially able to support them or their ex are can provide a better future for the kids more than they can.

• Emotionally stable. No court would want to give a parent the right to take care of the kids if she/he is not capable of taking care of himself/her. Nurturing and proper upbringing of the children are one of the main concerns of the court.Sometimes, an ex who has been found out of having elicit affairs or has been abusive to himself or to any of his family members  has less chance of winning over the case.

• Physically fit. Whether we like it or not being physically fit is one of the many considerations the court has to give weight. A mother or a father unable to perform her or his physical duty as a parent has the chance of losing the case. How can you work and provide for your needs and your kids’ if you are sickly and can hardly take care of your family?

• Past Records. What you have done in the past may either help you win the case or put you in the hot seat eventually doubting your capabilities of being a good parent and losing the case over your ex.

• Current Activities.It is not just your past history that they will delve to prove or unprove your right to be a parent but also the person that you are at present. Any acts that might disprove your integrity as a peron and as a parent, such as womanizing or having an elicit affair, excessive drinking and partying, etc. might jeopardize your chance of getting the custody. So, better watch your every step.

• You are the Mother. In some countries, when a couple decides to separate and files custody over the child/children below 7 years old, the custody is automatically granted to the mother unless she is proven to be unfit e.i drug addict, abusive, clinically declared mentally ill, etc,etc.

• Your child prefers to be with you. When a child is over 8 years old, he/she is given the right to choose which parent he/she is comfortable to live with.Sometimes this serves as an eye opening to both parents. This is the moment of truth of how well you made your child felt loved or how he/she felt neglected by you. The children, in most cases prefers the parents who can love them  most. There are few cases, however, that a child chose a parent who can give her/him luxury or provide them their material needs.

• The-would-be- step- parent. This is an important consideration but more often than not has been ignored and not taken seriously. If you are into a new relationship and planning to start anew with someone else, be sure that he/she would accept your children in his household. Any signs of resentment against the idea of a child with your ex is soon to be living with you is a sign of trouble. Look for those signs before it is going to be too late for you and your child. If such animosity or resentment is present, then, you must decide whom to choose, your child or your new partner.

A child deserves to have a happy and loving family. If it is impossible to give her/him that with both parents present, still, one must consider what is best for her/him. The fact that that child is bound to grow up in a broken family is already heartbreaking. At least, keeping him/her safe and well provided is the best that a  parent  can do. Loving a child even single-handedly  is a tough call but if you surpass the ordeal it is very rewarding and fulfilling.