When children are caught in the middle of their parents’ divorce, they may face a great deal of emotional tension and stress. In addition to the property division and other aspects of the divorce process, these parents also have to create a child custody arrangement that meets their child’s best interest. With a variety of possible custody agreements to decide among, Georgia family lawyers can provide some assistance.
Sole physical custody allows the child to live with one parent, while the other has visitation rights. In this type of arrangement, that same parent may have sole legal custody, or the two parents may have joint legal custody. In the first case, one parent has the child living with him or her and gets to make all long- and short-term decisions about how the child will be raised. In the second option, the child lives with one parent, but the parents decide together what school the child will attend or what religion the child will practice.
If the two parents determine that they want a joint physical and legal custody arrangement, they can pursue that route. Typically, if the parents live near each other, then the child may be able to spend nearly equal time with each parent. However, if the parents live further away, they may choose to split major holidays and weekends. Oftentimes, parents will create a parenting agreement to have a judge ratify that outlines their plans after taking work and school schedules into account.
Although divorce can be a stressful and life-changing process, creating a child custody arrangement does not have to be another challenge. Together, the parents can decide if they will work together to share nearly equal responsibility, or if one parent will be left in charge. Family law professionals in Georgia can assist those working through this process and provide guidance as they consider all of their options.
Source: FindLaw, “The Various Types of Child Custody“, Accessed on July 5, 2017