You and your spouse get divorced, but you already have a child together, so you know that this is not fully the end of your relationship. The marriage may end, but you are still going to share physical custody of your child. You will have to make child custody exchanges and drop-offs.
But how do you address making major decisions for your child? Say that they come to you and say they would like to switch schools. How do you choose the new school? Or say that your child has a medical emergency or even just needs to meet with a pediatrician for a yearly check-up. Who authorizes medical care or picks the doctor’s office?
The parent with legal custody
The parent who gets to make these types of decisions is the one who has legal custody of the child. This is separate from physical custody. Just because a parent has physical custody does not guarantee that they have legal custody rights.
For example, even though both you and your ex share physical custody, the court may have given legal custody only to you. This means that you could choose a school or a pediatrician on your own.
But it is more common for courts to split legal custody between co-parents. This means that, even though your own relationship may have ended, the two of you have to work together and find common solutions. You may have to compromise or make some of these decisions jointly.
Understanding your rights
It is crucial to understand both legal and physical custody rights after a divorce involving children. Be sure you know what rights you have and how to address any potential disputes.
