Understanding Oklahoma Custody Laws

Summary

The user is seeking full custody of her child in Oklahoma, citing her ability to provide better care. She has school and medical records as evidence. The father contests the claim, criticizing the childs eye care and living conditions. The user has taken steps to address these concerns, including ensuring the childs medication and looking for a larger apartment. The user is self-representing in court, with a list of witnesses and exhibits. The father plans to present evidence from eye doctors and his current wife. The user also has a separate case regarding the guardianship of her 9-year-old daughter with her grandmother.

Full Conversation

Custody
What state are you in, ****? This will help me provide the most accurate information regarding custody laws in your location.
Oklahoma
Are you seeking full custody or joint custody?

In Oklahoma, courts generally favor joint custody, but will consider the best interest of the child.
Full custody
What is the reason you're seeking full custody? In Oklahoma, courts grant full custody if it's in the best interest of the child.
I feel i can take better care of our child
What evidence do you have to support your claim that you can provide better care for your child? In Oklahoma, courts require substantial proof for granting full custody.
School records and medical records
What do these school and medical records indicate about your child's wellbeing? In Oklahoma, these records can be crucial in custody cases to demonstrate a child's best interest.
He's doing well in school has an iep setup and the medical records show im providing the care he needs to his eyes
Does the other parent contest your claim for full custody? In Oklahoma, if both parents can't agree, the court will decide based on the child's best interest.
Yes
What are the reasons the other parent is contesting your claim for full custody?
He claims i have not done enough for his eye care and the fact that i have a * bedroom apartment with * children so our son doesn't have his own room
What steps have you taken to address the concerns raised by the other parent about your son's eye care and living conditions?
I am making sure she takes all the medicine he is give by the dr and wears his glasses all the time and have moved my son into my bedroom and moved my bed into the living room until I can find a * bedroom apartments
Are you actively looking for a larger apartment and do you have any documentation to support this? In Oklahoma, providing adequate living conditions is crucial in custody cases.
No i am on waiting lists at apartments in my area but I did not think to ask if they could make any documents stating that im on a list
Have you considered reaching out to the apartments you're on the waiting list for to request a written confirmation of your status? This could serve as evidence of your efforts to improve living conditions.
No but I can try
That's a good idea. Having written confirmation could strengthen your case. Do you have a lawyer to guide you through this process?
No i had one but had to release her because i could no longer afford her
What steps are you taking to represent yourself in court? It's important to be prepared, especially when dealing with custody cases.
I have all the documents from my case from my attorney. I have a small witness list and exhibits
What kind of exhibits do you have for your case?
School records showing grades and attendance his iep from school proff he is seeing a therapist medical records my paystubs showing i make enough money to provide for him and text messages from his father showing how abusive he is to me when he doesn't get his way
What steps have you taken to ensure your child's safety from his father's abusive behavior?
I tried to get a restating order but was denied because we were out of the home and he never physically harmed me
What steps are you taking to ensure your safety and the safety of your children now that the restraining order was denied?
I moved to a different town and have as little interaction with him as possible
What measures have you taken to ensure your child's safety during visitations with their father?
From what my son has told he has not been abusive to him the anger is towards me not him
What arrangements have you made for your son's visitation with his father to ensure it's conducted in a safe environment?
I drop my son off outside his father's home on Friday and his father returns him to my home on Sunday
What measures have you taken to document any potential incidents during these visitations?
If anything happened I always emailed my attorney to document it but nothing ever happened during the visitation period
Do you have copies of these emails you sent to your attorney documenting potential incidents during visitation?
Yes
What is the current visitation schedule and are there any issues with it?
Right now my son is finishing his summer visitation at his father's he will return on Sunday and once he starts school on aug * he will be going every other weekend and we alternate holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas
Are there any specific issues or concerns you have about the current visitation schedule?
I have no problem with it its his father who is taking me to court to get full custody
What is the basis of the father's claim for full custody?
He claims that i am not taking care of our sons eyes and that he doesn't have space of his own at our home
What steps have you taken to address the father's concerns about your son's eye care and his living space?
I take him to every eye dr appointment he has made sure he got his new glasses and wears them give him all his eye medication and have given him my room so he has his on space
What documentation do you have to prove that you've been attending all the eye doctor appointments and administering the eye medication?
His father goes with me now to every appointment so he is a witness to the appointments and I have no way to prove i give the medicine other than the fact that since using the medicine his eyes have improved every time we have gone back to see the dr
Do you have any medical reports or doctor's notes that show the improvement in your son's eye condition since he started the medication?
They make a log in his records of the status of his eyes and how it has changed each time
Do you have access to this log or can you request a copy from the doctor's office? This could serve as crucial evidence in your case.
His father has presented it to my attorney so I have the records
What is the current status of your case? Are there any upcoming court dates or pending decisions?
We are set for pretrial in September and trail in oct i sent a list of witnesses and a list of my exhibits to him attorney yesterday and he did the same
What are the names and roles of the witnesses you have listed for your case?
Just me and his father i have no one else to include
What is the nature of the evidence that the father is planning to present against you in court?
He has two eye dr he is having testify about my sons eyes and his now wife
What are the eye doctors expected to testify about in relation to your son's eye care?
The servity of his condition he has that we now have under control and is improving
What steps have you taken to ensure that your son's eye condition continues to improve?
I give him his medicine and made sure to pay extra on his glasses to get them to transition because he had light sensitivity but light no longer bothers him
What steps have you taken to address the concern about your son not having his own room?
Right now he has his own room and am looking for a longer place to live
What steps are you taking to find a larger place to live?
Ive called all the apartments in my area looking on websites for rentals homes that i might be able to afford
What documentation do you have to prove your efforts in finding a larger place to live?
I could bring up my search history on my phone and print that
That's a good idea. Printing your search history could serve as evidence of your efforts to find a larger living space. Do you have any other supporting documents?
No
What is the nature of the evidence that the father's wife is planning to present against you in court?
While we were still living together before they got married all of us me my ex my * kids and her were staying in the same home. I work a night job * to midnight i would go to my boyfriend's house after work then come home get the kids ready for school and take them to school. On the weekends I would take them to my boyfriend's house and we would spend the weekend there then i would take them back home so they could go to school. She is saying i was never home and didn't spend enough time with the children.
What evidence do you have to counter the claim that you didn't spend enough time with the children?
I don't have any evidence its just my word that when i wasn't at work i was with the children
What steps have you taken to ensure your children's needs are met while you're at work?
I provided food clothing i paid for all utilities
What evidence do you have to show that you provided for your children's basic needs such as food, clothing, and utilities?
No evidence on food and clothing they are not contesting that and i have bills that were in my name
What steps are you taking to ensure your children's needs are met while you're at work?
Now I work a regular job during the day so if they are not at school or at the babysitter they are with me
What evidence do you have to show that you're now working a regular job during the day and your children are either at school or with a babysitter?
I have a letter from my boss that I have presented in the past to the judge stating my hours and job status at work
What is the nature of your current job and how does it affect your ability to care for your children?
I am a manager at arby's it does not effect my ability to take care of my children
What steps have you taken to ensure your children's needs are met while you're at work?
My oldest daughter who is * has a cell phone she can call me if she needs anything the school has my cell phone number if they need to reach me during school and I talk to the babysitter on a regular basis
What arrangements have you made for your children's care when they are not at school or with the babysitter?
They are if with me if they are not at school or the babysitter
What arrangements have you made for your children's care during your work hours?
I send them with food and or money if they are going out my daughter has her phone if they need anything they can call me
What is the age of your other two children and who takes care of them when you're at work?
My children are *, * and my son *
Who takes care of your * and 8 year old when you're at work?
The 9 year old is currently with her grandmother under a guardianship i go back to court in September
What is the reason for the guardianship of your *-year-old with her grandmother?
When i left my son's father i had to move in with a friend until i was able to get the place i have right now so she claimed i was homeless so she was granted temporary guardianship
What steps are you taking to regain guardianship of your *-year-old from her grandmother?
We have been going to court i had an attorney but as i stated I had to let her go
What is the current status of your case regarding the guardianship of your *-year-old?
I go to trail on September *
What steps have you taken to improve your living situation since the temporary guardianship was granted?
I have a full time job and a clean and well kept home
I have a full time job and a clean and well kept home
What steps are you taking to prepare for the upcoming trial regarding the guardianship of your *-year-old?
All of our documents have been submitted by my attorney that i needed for the case
What kind of documents have you submitted for your case regarding the guardianship of your *-year-old?
Proff of work my lease for my apartment and we have a gal who has interviewed and has been with my daughter
What is the role of the GAL (Guardian ad Litem) in your case and what has been their assessment so far?
To determine if she should come back to me or stay with the grandmother, the gal fought to get me visitation with my daughter over the summer so it was granted
What is the GAL's current recommendation regarding the custody of your daughter?
I do not know i was not given that information
What steps have you taken to obtain the GAL's recommendation regarding the custody of your daughter?
I have recently emailed her but have not gotten any response
What was the content of your email to the GAL? It's important to maintain open communication with all parties involved in your case.
She is on both cases and the last message was mainly about my son's case but i will send a new message specifically about my daughters case today
What is the current living situation of your *-year-old daughter?
She lives with me i have full custody no issues
What is the current living arrangement for your *-year-old son?
I have primary custody currently his father has visitation
What is the current visitation schedule for your son with his father?
Every other weekend and we alternate holidays
What is the current status of your son's eye condition and are there any ongoing treatments or medications?
His status continues to improve and i continue to give his medicine and take him to eye appointments
What is the name and contact details of the eye doctor treating your son? This could be useful in your case to provide medical evidence of your son's improving condition.
He sees two dr at the dean Mcgee eye Institute
Could you please provide the names of the doctors at the Dean Mcgee Eye Institute who are treating your son? This information could be crucial for your case.
Tammy Yanovitch and Rhea Siatkowski
What is the nature of the evidence that Tammy Yanovitch and Rhea Siatkowski are expected to present in court?
Just to explain his condition to the court
What is the current status of your son's eye condition according to Dr. Tammy Yanovitch and Dr. Rhea Siatkowski?
He has blood vessels that have grown through his retina and they became inflamed causing scaring
What is the current treatment plan for your son's eye condition as recommended by Dr. Tammy Yanovitch and Dr. Rhea Siatkowski?
He gets a prescribed eye drop and cream
What is the frequency and duration of the prescribed eye drop and cream treatment for your son's eye condition?
Twice a day everyday until they either decide to change the medicine or say it is ok to stop
What is the name of the prescribed eye drop and cream? It's important to keep a record of all medications administered for your son's condition.
Restasis and erythromycin
What is the improvement in your son's eye condition since he started using Restasis and erythromycin?
Yes
What is the current status of your son's eye condition after using Restasis and erythromycin?
No longer sensitive to light and his eyes are no longer red or irritated
What is the name and contact details of the pharmacy where you get the Restasis and erythromycin for your son? This could serve as evidence of your efforts to manage your son's eye condition.
Walgreens in shawnee ok
What is the address and contact number of the Walgreens pharmacy in Shawnee, OK where you get your son's medications?