Does Minnesota Favor Mothers In Child Custody Cases?

While many people believe that mothers are favored over fathers in Minnesota child custody cases, this is not the case. Better understanding how child custody cases are decided can provide you with a better understanding of your own parental rights. If you are facing a child custody concern, working closely with an experienced Minnesota child custody attorney is always in your best interest. 

The Best Interests Of The Children

When Minnesota courts are called upon to make child custody determinations, they always turn to the best interests of the children involved. And a universal element of these best interests is that children are better off when both parents are awarded parenting time to one degree or another – barring extreme circumstances that dictate otherwise. In other words, courts are motivated to maximize the amount of time children are able to spend with both their mother and their father. 

Best Interest Factors

When Minnesota courts set about determining the best interests of children in child custody cases, they take a wide range of factors like the following into careful consideration:

• How well the children have adjusted to their current home, school, and community, which is known as the status quo
• How involved each parent has been in raising the children to date
• How motivated each parent is to support the children’s ongoing relationship with the other parent
• How well equipped each parent is to provide the children with the care they need
• The children’s unique needs
• Each parent’s preference in the matter
• Any other factors that the court finds relevant to the case at hand

Factors That Traditionally Favored The Mother

Traditionally, mothers have been more likely to stay home with the children and do most of the day-to-day parenting. Because Minnesota courts often find it preferable to maintain the status quo to the degree possible – in an effort to make the challenging transition of divorce less difficult for the involved children – mothers tended to have an advantage due to the fact that they tended to have more involvement in caring for the children and were more likely to stay home with them. As such, mothers were more likely to become the primary custodial parents and to remain in the family home with them post-divorce. Over the years, this has changed considerably. In the end, Minnesota courts take every child custody case on its own merits and base every child custody determination on the circumstances at hand – with an overarching goal of protecting the best interests of the children while maximizing their time with each parent. 

Discuss Your Child Custody Concern With An Experienced Minnesota Child Custody Attorney Today

Child custody concerns are major concerns, and having professional legal counsel on your side is always well advised. The seasoned Minnesota divorce attorneys at Atticus Family Law understand the gravity of your case and dedicate their practice to skillfully advocating for the parental rights of clients like you. We’re here to help, so please don’t delay contacting us for more information about what we can do for you today.