When you get a divorce in Indiana, one of the most pressing things on your mind may be your custody arrangement. Child custody can come in many forms and it may surprise you to learn how many options there are. At Katzman and Katzman, P.C., we know how important it is for you to understand all of your options.
You may think that if you have custody of your child, you can make important decisions for your kid. FindLaw says this may only be the case if you have legal custody. Legal custody means that you can choose what religion your child will follow growing up and what kind of health care your child will receive. A parent with this type of custody can also choose where a kid will go to school. If you and your ex-spouse have joint legal custody, this means you usually need to make these decisions together. Many courts may prefer to award joint legal custody so both parents can play a role in their child’s life. However, if you realize that your child’s other parent is not willing to effectively co-parent, you may be able to speak to a court about sole legal custody.
When you think about custody, you may first consider physical custody. This type of custody determines where a child lives. If a court awards you sole physical custody, this means that your child will spend most of his or her time with you. This does not necessarily mean a child will never see his or her other parent. The noncustodial parent usually visits with your son or daughter and may be able to host the child for weekend visits. Sometimes a court may be more likely to award sole physical custody if the other parent does not live nearby. In many situations, though, you and your ex-spouse may have joint physical custody. In this arrangement, a child typically splits his or her time between both of you.
Most of the time, an Indiana court may choose to award custody to both of you. Sometimes this may mean that your child will move back and forth between your home and your ex-spouse’s. In other situations, your child may stay with you but visit frequently with his or her other parent. If your child is over the age of 14, a court may sometimes ask him or her about custody preferences. You can find more information about this subject on our webpage.