When you hire a Child Custody Attorney Silverdale WA one of the first things that needs to be established is what kind of child custody you are fighting for. Most people do not realize it, but there are several different kinds of child custody. You could be fighting for physical custody, legal custody, or sole custody. Understanding the differences will help you to decide what to tell your Child Custody Attorney Silverdale WA you are fighting for.
Physical Custody
When you have physical custody of your child, it means that you have the right for your child to live with you in your home. Sometimes joint physical custody is awarded. When this happens the child would live with both parents. Usually the child will live with one parent during the week and one parent on the weekend. This way the child’s school schedule does not get interrupted. Joint physical custody only really works when the parents live close to each other. Obviously, it would be a little difficult to have joint physical custody if you lived in different states.
Legal Custody
Legal custody means that you have the right to decide how your child is raised. You would be deciding things such as their school, their medical needs, and their religion. It is also possible for joint legal custody to be awarded as well. Joint legal custody means that you would not even be able to make any life changing decisions for your child without the consent of the other parent. It is possible to have either legal or physical custody as well as having both of them.
Sole Custody
When you are fighting for sole custody it means you do not want to share physical and legal custody with the other parent. If the other parent is not a fit parent or has not been there for your child, there is merit to fighting for sole custody. You just need to make sure that taking all rights away from the other parent is right for your child, not just for you.
When you are fighting for custody of your child, just remember to keep the focus on your needs of your child. You may not like your ex anymore, but they are still your child’s other parent.
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