Deion Sanders was awarded sole decision-making authority for his sons and daughter with estranged wife Pilar Sanders by a Texas jury today. The parties are still working on the custody and visitation arrangement that will determine how much time each parent spends with the children.
NBC Dallas-Fort Worth reported that the jury granted Sanders sole conservatorship over his three children with Pilar Sanders. The jury decided that Sanders should have primary care of his two sons and joint care of his daughter.
Apparently custody can be divided into two trials in Texas. In North Carolina, it is usually the case that legal and physical custody are decided in one trial of a matter. In the Sanders's case, the jury granted Deion Sanders the sole right to choose where all the children will live and attend school.
Pilar tweeted, possibly about her discontent with the decision:
I've never seen anything like this! WOWOWOW!
Watching the Deion Sanders Gets Custody of Sons, Shares Custody of Daughter video here.
Custody battles impact children
Not only do divorces impact children, but custody battles also have a major impact on them. Often children are made to feel they have to choose a side. Last year, Deion Sanders posted pictures of his sons filling out witness statements after an altercation with then wife, Pilar.
Anytime children are pitted against one parent, it creates turmoil for them. It is always best to keep the child's best interest in mind when going to court for custody matters. Consider how using the child in a trial will impact his or her relationship with the other parent going forward.
Parents can always create parenting agreements and decide jointly on how their children will be raised without involving the court system directly. Court battles are not the only option. Many attorneys in North Carolina have steered their clients more toward collaboratively resolving issues using mediators and counselors to aid in the process.
When spouses end their relationships with one another, they have to work doubly hard to retain their children's relationships with both parents and siblings. If you are going through a divorce and custody case, think about how resolving the matter collaboratively might benefit your children long term.
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