Macon, GA Child custody terms

Macon, GA Child custody terms

In child custody in Macon, GA , there are many terms that can get thrown around. Usually, it can be pretty easy to misinterpret what precisely those terms mean. On the one hand, the term like “custody” has a literal meaning. When you have custody of something, it means that it is physically in your possession. However, some parents would speak about their children as being a “possession” in the way that jewelry or a car might be a possession. Custody, as associated with child custody, is a legal term, and carries with it very specific legal meanings and underpinnings and you shoud be know what a phrase like “full child custody” means.

In Macon, GA there are two specific concepts that child custody refers to. The first concept that child custody refers to is the concept of legal responsibility and rights. Usually unless there is a forceful ground for a judge to rule otherwise, parents will hold joint legal custody of the children in a divorce. Both parents have the right and obligation to make decisions for the child in vital fields such as education, instruction in religion, and health care. If parents have shared or joint legal custody, both parents shall have the complete authority to act on the child’s behalf in these areas. Where only one parent has full legal custody, then only that parent has the right to make such decisions. But, it is only in exceptional circumstances, such as when one parent has been convicted of child abuse or endangerment, that there may be sole legal custody.

The second area that child custody refers to is physical custody. Having full physical custody of a child indicates that the child lives with you a vast majority of the time. But it does not mean that the non-custodial parent does not see the child, or that the child cannot reside with the non-custodial parent. It merely means that the child stays with you primarily. The non-custodial parent shall still generally retain joint legal custody even if you retain full child custody in the physical area. In addition, the non-custodial parent can still also have specific visitation rights that you should, by law, comply with even though if you have full physical child custody.

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