One step at a time Motivation is a very important key to ensure that you will cope with losing a child custody case. It would require so much self-assessment as well as constant reflection over one's self, on his or her environment, the people that surround him or her and the overall condition of life that he or she is in. Winning Child Custody Cases When a married couple separates or file for divorce, one of the major considerations would be the child custody. As defined, child custody refers to a legal term that is usually used when tackling legal and practical relationships concerning a parent and a child. Family experts say that fighting for custody of any child after a painful separation or an on going divorce is definitely one of the most heart wrenching and emotionally draining experiences any parent could face. In other states, the courts have the discretion to determine how much relevance it will put on the child s preference regarding his or her custody. The child must be legally competent to testify in court, meaning he or she understands what the child custody hearings are all about and knows the difference between truth and lies. Child custody laws are not the same in all the states in the U.S. The following answers are mostly in general terms inasmuch as they apply and/or recognized by the courts all over the country. What is custody? Custody means who is responsible for the children in cases when their parents do not live together. If you don t have any access to any lawyer, you can gain more knowledge on child custody through research. This can be done by visiting websites on the internet that could give you almost all pieces of information that you need to learn about child custody. Here, you can get as much information that you need to help you gain better understanding on matters that will make or break a child s life. If the mother denies the father access to his child, the father will need to fight for such right through the family court. This would involve the establishing of his paternity of the child and subsequently, petitioning the court for his share of parental rights. At best, the unmarried father can only gain some form of child custody and visitation rights.