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Child custody battles.

It's a no win situation. The marriage is finished, though the ties that a couple made by making children are permanent ones, and at the end of a relationship, deciding upon what is effectively seen by many as ownership of the child, can be handled badly, leaving a child scarred for the rest of their lives, although there are options.

There are many aspects to look at in a child custody case, and sometime love isn't enough. Parents are fighting for something that is emotional, and let those emotions get in the way of what is right for the child. Suddenly, it isn't always the child that is the issue, and it becomes a power battle between parents, where the child is actually the least thought of aspect in the whole affair, though it doesn't have to be like that.

Look at the issues that surround the child and take into account the following criteria because they apply to all cases of child custody and are universal, remembering that the child is the center of the decisions that you are going to make, and that their input is important.

1.Who does the child want to live with.

Forget egos. Forget who wins. This isn't about you. This is about the child. A child may be happier, more well balanced, and catered for emotionally better by one parent than another. It doesn't mean that the other parent is any less valued. In many instances, parents try to buy the affections of a child, and although short term, it seems pretty effective, nurture and care pay off, because that child with a thousand toys in an environment of hostility and lack of parental concern will see past the novelty. They want you to love them, and by loving the child and caring for their moral upbringing in a way that they can relate to makes good parenting. If you are not the mainstay of that child, it doesn't mean that you are not vital to that child's life. Stop making it a competition, and remember that the real issue is sustained love, care and attention, and above all what the child wants.

2.Who can offer the child a loving and stable home environment ?

The question of who can offer the child an environment that is happy and stable doesn't always equate to who has the most money. Whilst recognizing that money does play a part in the upbringing of a child, courts to recognize that not all homes are rich. If your work life takes you away from the home environment a lot in order to gain that wealth, it is all very well putting a child in the care of others because your money can pay

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