Divorce is made even more difficult when there are children to consider. If you are trying to get shared or full custody, then you need to make sure you are managing your post-divorce life in a manner that the court will deem favorable for child-rearing. The following are some bad habits to avoid if you are fighting for custody.

#1: Unsuitable living conditions

Although a small studio apartment or bachelor's pad may be fine for weekend visitations from your kids, it isn't generally seen as a suitable location for full-time living with children. This is particularly true if your former spouse can provide more space for the kids. At a minimum, children of different genders should each have their own room, and no more than two kids should share a room in most cases. The home should be in good condition and clean, as well. It's also best if you don't have roommates, but this isn't a requirement. You may want to ensure each roommate has gone through a background check before signing a lease with them, though, since you don't want past criminal activity on their part to affect your custody arrangements.

#2: Party Habits

After a divorce it is normal to want to try dating again or to spend more time with friends. Just make sure that you don't develop a party habit that could be considered detrimental to the well-being of your children. Wait until the divorce is finalized before dating, then keep it discreet. You don't need to introduce new partners to your children until a relationship is serious. 

Bringing around love interests constantly to meet your kids could be considered emotionally damaging by the courts. It's also a good idea to avoid excessive partying that looks irresponsible, as no court wants to give custody to a possible alcoholic or drug-abusing party animal. Even though you are now divorced, you need to keep your parenting duties front and center.

#3: Badmouthing

It can be tempting to badmouth your former spouse, both in private and in public. Unfortunately, this type of behavior often makes its way to the ears of a judge via social media or witnesses. It will be considered unhealthy for the kids to have to hear about one parent negatively from the other, so you can have your custody downgraded as a result. You don't have to praise your former spouse in front of the kids, but you do need to check yourself from saying anything negative.

For more help in navigating custody issues, contact a child custody law office like Cragun Law Firm.