Parents often worry about how their divorce could impact how involved they are in their children’s lives. One of the biggest discussions divorcing parents will have during the divorce process is about child custody. Child custody agreements are generally designed so that parents can continue raising their children in two different homes. However, the rights of each parent may vary according to each agreement or order by the court.
To learn more about your child custody options, it is important to understand what legal and physical custody mean. Here is what you should know:
What is legal and physical custody?
Legal custody refers to a parent’s right to decide how their child is raised. A parent with legal custody could, for example, decide that their child will go to a private or public school. A parent could also make medical decisions for their child if the parent has legal custody.
Physical custody refers to where a child lives and which parent provides for their daily care. A parent with physical custody may be responsible for attending to their child’s daily needs, including food, clothing and shelter, and their daily routine, such as bedtime, daycare and school.
What is joint and sole custody?
A child custody arrangement can outline each parent’s legal and physical custody rights. If parents share legal and physical custody, then they may have a joint custody arrangement. Joint custody allows both parents the right to decide on what is best for their child’s upbringing. Co-parents may also rotate physical custody days according to a custody schedule.
A parent may be given sole custody of their child. The custodial parent would be solely responsible for caring for their child’s daily needs and daily routine. In some cases, the non-custodial parent could visit their child on scheduled days.
You can seek professional legal help to learn more about your child custody options.