Try to resist the urge to coach answers against your former spouse or pressure your child to answer according to what you told them because the judge can tell that right away. Just encourage your children to be honest and express what they really want to say. 3. Keep the best interests of your children in mind. What they can do is to research their legal rights if they believe that the court made an error by not giving the child s custody under their name. They can make an appeal and hope that somehow, the ruling can be overturned. Another best way to cope is that request is you can visit your child regularly. (TIP: Get a copy from Sourcebooks as well as in Nolo Press that regularly publish state-specific books and also visit Findlaw.com if you need more and updated pieces of information regarding the child custody laws of the state that you belong to.) Aside from reading books and visiting online sites that offer free information on child custody cases, it would be advisable to talk to somebody an immediate family member, a friend or a neighbor who went through the same things. To ensure that you will win the child custody case, make sure that you: - Think of the welfare of the kid or kids at all times. For adults, they can turn a child custody battle into a war zone in no time. Little do they know that they are not the only ones who are victims of this tension but the kids who are left with no other choice to accept the decision that their parents made. Parents should do well to negotiate a fair parenting agreement that should reflect the overall best interest of their child (or children). This can be done out of court or through alternative dispute resolution service such as a mediator. Temporary custody If there is no agreement between the parents, a temporary child custody schedule may be ordered by a judge. And when the forms have been received by the family court, you have to make sure you attend the scheduled hearing. You will have to wait weeks or even months before you appear in court. So while you are waiting, plan your strategy to boost your chances of being granted the custody of your child. A number of parents opt to have a lawyer to represent them during the court hearing.