Children are incredibly fragile. While they’re also resilient, this fact probably leaves you worried about your children’s wellbeing when they’re not in your care. This is understandable, but in most instances, children are safe when they’re in their noncustodial parent’s care. But in some circumstances, such as when domestic violence is present in the home, your children can be at significant risk of harm.
How does exposure to domestic violence harm children?
Hearing and seeing domestic violence can be traumatic for children. As a result, they may end up exhibiting the following symptoms of exposure to domestic violence:
- Increased anxiety
- Onset of depression
- Excessive worry
- Guilt over being unable to stop the violence
- Aggressive behaviors
- Social isolation
- Poor school performance
- Signs of abuse and neglect
If you notice any of these signs in your child, then you need to take action to figure out what’s going on and how to protect him or her. This may mean speaking with your child, seeking out therapeutic services, talking to other witnesses, and maybe even obtaining police records. Once you have this evidence, then you may be able to successfully seek a child custody modification.
Keeping your child’s best interests in mind
Remember, a court is going to make a child custody determination based on what it thinks is in the child’s best interests. Therefore, while you’ll certainly want to present evidence of exposure to domestic violence, you’ll also want to demonstrate how that exposure is harming your child and why your proposed custody arrangement is most appropriate. This requires you to take a holistic approach to your case. If you’d like assistance in developing the legal arguments that you need to protect your child, then now is the time to reach out to a legal advocate of your choosing.