In most Georgetown divorces, child custody determination can be quite problematic. Often, custody issues linger even after the completion of the divorce process, as children grow and life situations change. A lot of parents have been in custody battles during a divorce. If you are in this situation, you can reduce your stress when you have a child custody attorney in Georgetown, MI asserting your rights and interests. The following are common child custody issues a lot of divorced parents need to deal with.
If Joint Custody is Not an Option
Child custody is categorized into physical and legal custody. A parent with physical custody lives with the child while the one with legal custody makes major life choices like educational, medical, and religious decisions for the child. In general, family courts favor joint custody as every child deserves to have both of their parents actively involved in their lives.
But sometimes, parents go beyond their custodial rights that they block the other parent. For example, the custodial parent may decide to enroll their child in a religious school near their house without consulting the child’s other parent.
In another situation, a parent may win physical custody; however, do not spend the parenting time with the child. This can damage this parent’s relationship with the child and inconvenience the other parent who may be left with less child support and greater expenses.
In either case, the other parent should document how the co-parent violated the court’s custody order. With their attorney, they may be able to go to court again to seek order enforcement.
If a Custodial Parents Wishes to Move
If the parent who has custody of the child wants to move their residence, they will need court permission if the location is more than 100 miles from the original residence. This is also the case if they want to move out of state. When the court decides whether or not to grant permission for the move, they consider if this move can improve the life of both custodial parent and child and if both parents are in compliance with parenting time orders. Also, they take into account if the non-custodial parent and child still have enough parenting time schedule when the move occurs. Other considerations include the existence of domestic violence and if the non-custodial parent does not agree to the move to gain an advantage in terms of child support.
