Interracial relationships can produce interracial children. When the parents aren’t in a relationship any longer, the child becomes the subject of a child custody case.
If you have a biracial child and are facing a child custody case, you will likely find that your case isn’t handled any differently from any other child custody case. Here are a few things that you should think about when it comes to child custody involving a multiracial child.
Race is not a factor
Had your child custody battle occurred 50 years ago, race would have been an issue. Back then, there was a case in which a judge gave two biracial children to their black father so that they could “take their rightful place in society” by being “brought up by their own people.”
This isn’t how things work these days. The court now considers what is in the child’s best interests. And, what race a parent is doesn’t have any impact on this point. Instead, the judge will look at who cares for the child the majority of the time and who can best meet the child’s needs.
Working together to work things out
One thing that you and your ex can do is work out an agreement with each other about child custody. This gives you both a chance to speak your mind and work through the issues that you are facing. You can think about what your child actually needs and what your child will want instead of letting a stranger, the judge, make these decisions for you.
Points to consider
There are several things that you have to think about when you are coming up with the agreement. Just as any other child custody case would have to include, your case needs to include where the child will live, when the child will spend time with each parent, and who will make decisions for the child.
There are a few points that you need to include in the child custody agreement that wouldn’t necessarily be pertinent in a same-race case. For example, the child custody agreement might need to spell out which culture the child will learn about. Will each parent teach the child one’s own respective culture? How will the child’s hair be styled? Hair was actually the central issue in one incident between a white mother and black father. What faith, if any, will the child be raised in?
Ultimately, you know your child and what your son or daughter needs. Be sure that you keep these needs as the focal point of the case.
