When your Texas marriage ends and you and your ex have children together, you need to figure out who is going to care for them and when moving forward. If you and your child’s other parent are unable to come to an agreement about custody and parenting time, the state’s family court system may make such decisions for you.
Per the Texas Bar Association, your child’s age and maturity level help determine what factors courts consider when making determinations about parenting time. Courts may also consider the following when making these decisions.
Your child’s preferences
If your child is old enough and mature enough to have opinions about where to live, Texas’ family court system may give weight to his or her own preferences. For example, if the child prefers to live with one parent over the other or wishes to stay in a home where his or her siblings live, these preferences may affect custody decisions.
The physical and emotional needs of the child
Courts also consider your child’s physical and emotional needs and how well you and the other parent might be able to meet them when making decisions about parenting time.
Age-appropriate considerations
Courts also make custody-related decisions while considering your child’s age. If your child is young, whether you each have daycare or similar childcare arrangements in place may come into play. If your child is a teenager, each parent’s willingness to support the child in terms of academics, extracurriculars and similar areas may carry weight.
While these are some of the areas courts in Texas consider when making decisions about child custody, this is not an exhaustive summary of all factors that may undergo consideration.