Parents who aren’t in a relationship any longer will likely need to address the issue of child custody. While some people might think that child custody means determining who gets the child when, that is only part of what matters for child custody. There are actually several different considerations that you must think about when you have to decide on child custody.
Obviously, you will have to decide who gets the child when. When you are doing this, you need to think about arrangements for the school year, the summer and holidays. This ensures that you will have a guide that you can turn to throughout the year.
You will also have to think about who is going to make choices for the child. This includes medical, educational, legal, religious and other decisions. In some cases, you and your child’s other parent might opt to work together on these decisions. In other cases, one parent will have decision-making abilities for specific areas. If you are the sole decision maker, you should find out if major decisions need to include the other parent.
Some child custody cases also have other decisions that need to be made. These can include how a child will keep in contact with a parent who doesn’t live nearby or how future issues with custody will be addressed.
It is always best to think about the child custody agreement as a personal agreement that is being made for your child’s best interest. This can help you as you make choices. You should be sure that you know your rights and what options you have as you try to hash out the terms with your ex.
Source: FindLaw, “Custody Considerations: Step-By-Step,” accessed Nov. 03, 2016
