You and your ex-spouse both love your child. You want to do what is best for them and to provide them with as stable an environment as possible. The divorce has been difficult, but you want to make sure you put them first.
When you’re trying to decide how to divide parental responsibilities, you should take time to define how major decisions about your child’s care will be made. This can include decisions about:
- Medical care
- Schooling
- Religious upbringing
- Discipline
- Routine
It’s important for parents to be on the same page with these decisions. If they are not, then there could be conflicts that significantly impact their child’s life.
Should parents share major decision-making responsibilities?
In most cases, yes. It’s important that parents make major decisions collaboratively. However, a judge can decide if only one parent should have the right to make major decisions based on the factors of your case.
Anything that the court decides will be a decision based on your child’s best interests. The goal is always to put your child first. To do this, the judge will consider factors such as:
- The age of your child
- Their gender
- Evidence of parental alcohol or drug abuse
- Domestic violence
- Religious or cultural considerations
- The physical and mental health of the parents
Judges are generally free to consider anything that they may think is particularly relevant to these kinds of cases.
Usually, if you go to court over your parental rights and responsibilities, the results will be left in the judge’s hands. This is why many people turn to their attorneys to negotiate and work out an agreement prior to going to a hearing or trial.
