Divorce can be difficult and painful for the entire family. Even in a situation in which a divorce is mostly amicable, things can turn ugly quickly. There may be a situation in which the couple who shares children have worked out a custody agreement and that agreement is sticking for quite some time. However, for whatever reason, things go bad (whether the couple disagrees about something or they have some other conflict that causes negativity) and the custody agreement is no longer being respected.
Sometimes, one of the couple decides to take matters into their own hands and takes the child or children away without informing the other parent about where they went. That can cause serious trauma for the entire family, not to mention how much emotional damage it can do to the child or children. It is also illegal.
Solid advice from a family law attorney
Very possibly, when you started divorce proceedings, you worked with a West Virginia family law attorney. If you are experiencing a custody dispute at this point, you are most likely well aware of the fact that such as dispute has a tremendous impact on your relationship with your children. No doubt, you will want to protect that relationship and you will want to protect the feelings of your children and try to ensure that they experience as little emotional pain as possible.
In West Virginia, joint custody is considered in the best interest of the child. That is the top priority for the court in a divorce trial and it concerns custody and the decisions that will be made and which parent is responsible for which decisions. In the eyes of the law, it is in the best interest of the child for the parents to get along and make decisions jointly on behalf of their children. Of course, the rights of the parents when it comes to raising the child is also a top consideration.
