Any legal situation which involves a child, or children, should always be handled with extreme care with the best interest of each child in mind.

• Custody and Shared Parenting: In recent years, shared parental responsibility for the care, custody and control of a child has been ordered by a given court. Although one parent may be awarded "primary residential parent", both of the parents retain full parental rights and responsibilities with respect to their children. This allows both parents to have equal say in major decisions while fully discussing issues relating to their children, after each of the parent's concerns have been expressed.
  
  In certain situations, each parent may have an equal right to be declared the primary residential custodian of the minor child. The Court makes a ruling with regard to what it deems is in the best interests and welfare of the minor child. The Court will take into account various factors it believes will directly affect the welfare of the minor child in determining which parent will be the primary residential parent. One factor the courts often consider is which parent is more likely to allow contact between the secondary residential parent and the child. A parent who is less willing to allow visitation between the child and secondary residential parent could do more harm for the child's best interests than good. The Court takes into account other factors too.

• Child Support: every child has the right to be supported by both parents. Parents cannot usually contract away child support. The courts look to the best interest of the child standard.

• Modifications of child support, child custody, and visitation: On occasion, the parties may need to modify child support, child custody, and visitation. Again, the parties have certain rights but so do the children that benefit from the modifications.

• Paternity: fathers have rights too. A father of a child, not born in wedlock may have rights for visitation, custody, and provide support for his child.

• Child Visitation Issues: If there is no shared parenting or shared child custody following a divorce, a visitation schedule will be implemented based primarily on the best interests of the child. Additional criteria include:

• Relationship with the child

• Geographical location of each parent

• Health and safety of the child

• Mental and physical health of all parties

• Time spent with siblings

• Criminal record

• Patterns of abuse

Contact an experienced Toledo Child Custody Attorney - Lawyer at Strong Law today by calling Toll Free: 1 (866) 403-4300 to schedule a confidential consultation regarding your Child Custody & Family Law legal matters.