Even when a parent thinks they should have complete control and custody of their child, both parents have equal rights. The court is only concerned about the best interest of the child when determining what type of custody should be awarded and to which parent. The court wants to have a custodial arrangement that fosters a child’s happiness, growth, safety, and security. The court knows that a child benefits when they are able to maintain a close bond with each parent. If there’s been abusive behavior toward the child that is subject to the custody order, that parent might only be granted visitation or even lose their parental rights.
Child custody in Douglasville, GA can be very confusing to understand and pretty overwhelming when emotions are running high. A Georgia judge can award joint custody or sole custody and both have two other parts that are legal and physical. Legal custody of a child gives a parent the right to make major decisions about their child. Joint legal custody gives allows parents to have a say in the major decisions, but one parent will have the final decision for medical, educational, religious and extracurricular activities. Physical custody determines which parent a child will live with. Joint physical custody provides equal time and contact for both of the parents. A child that is fourteen years or older can make a custody decision about which parent they want to live with. Although the judge will take this into their decision-making process, if the judge doesn’t think it’s in the best interest of the child, it will be overruled.
When you hire an attorney who has experience with child custody in Douglasville, GA, they will paint you in the best light to the court and will fight for the custody and visitation you want. For safety concerns about yourself and your child, it’s important to tell the attorney any history of illegal drugs, jail time, abuse and other issues that could affect the custody outcome. Unless there is a safety concern, you and the other parent will have access to all of your child’s records and information. For more information, please visit Website Domain.
