Child custody is one of the most important issues to decide in divorce. You are the primary custodial parent if the children live primarily with you. What does this mean, and what are your rights and responsibilities? Learn more below and contact our child custody lawyers in Skokie and Illinois if you have questions about child custody.
If you are the primary custodian of your children after a divorce, it means the children live with you in your home the majority of the time. Being the primary custodial parent means shouldering a lot of responsibility. These include taking primary responsibility for your children’s emotional and physical needs.
You also will need to make significant life decisions for them regarding healthcare, education, religious upbringing, and more. Depending upon your Judgment for Allocation For Parental Responsibilities, this may mean you share decisions with the parent or you may make them unilaterally.
While being the primary custodian means having many responsibilities, there also are many benefits. The most significant advantage is spending more time with your children. You also should receive child support payment from your ex-spouse.
Additional responsibilities of the primary custodian of the children are:
There are many different custody arrangements. For example, you could have a “joint custody” agreement with the other parent. This means both parents have the same say in the decisions and responsibilities regarding how the child is raised.
When you have a joint custody agreement, each parent is highly involved in their children’s lives. If you “share” custody, that is a form of joint custody where the child has frequent contact and living arrangements with both parents, usually where each parent in this arrangement would usually have physical custody of the children half the time. So, for instance, the child could live with one parent Monday through Wednesday, the other parent Wednesday through Friday, and the parties rotating the weekends. This is one example.
If you are getting divorced, significant issues may arise regarding child custody. Our attorneys can help you obtain the desired child custody outcome you prefer.
Our Skokie child custody lawyers have extensive experience in these complex cases in Evanston, Des Plaines, Park Ridge, Mount Prospect, Elk Grove Village, Glenview, Niles, Prospect Heights, Northbrook, Wheeling, Winnetka, Arlington Heights, Riverside, Rosemont, Glencoe, Morton Grove, Rolling Meadows, and Wilmette. Please contact Gordon & Perlut, LLC at (312) 360-0250 for help with your child custody concerns.