Going through a divorce can take its toll on Tennessee residents in many ways. In particular, parents may worry about the child custody outcomes and how they can effectively address this part of the legal proceedings. As with many situations, it is wise to be informed about the types of custody and possible arrangements.
Commonly, physical custody is the type of custody that comes to mind when parents consider this part of a divorce. Understandably, parents want to know who their children will live with and what terms could help them create the best physical custody arrangement. Joint and sole physical custody are the two most common types with parents either equally sharing parenting time or one parent having custody of the children most of the time and the other parent having visitation rights.
Parents may less commonly consider the legal custody aspect of child custody. Legal custody also has the potential of sole and joint custody, but instead of determining who the children will live with, legal custody pertains to who will have the authority to make important decisions for the children. With sole legal custody, one parent has the ability to make choices regarding the kids’ religion, education and health care; with joint legal custody, both parents have the ability to make such decisions. Joint legal custody is still possible even if parents do not have joint physical custody.
There are many aspects to child custody that Tennessee parents may not have considered. This is not unusual as numerous people do not have all the information necessary regarding custody before they actually enter this type of situation. Parents who have concerns over this part of the divorce process may want to further explore their custody options with their legal counsel.