For a lot of parents getting a divorce, the matter of child custody is the most important and stressful part of it. In Illinois, Chicago, custody has two components. One is legal custody, which is the right to make decisions and be involved in making decisions to do with a minor’s health care, education, and religion. The second component is physical custody, which is about the routine daily care of a child and living with them. Courts rule on matters to do with custody with the primary goal of doing what is in the best interests of a child.
The court arrives at this decision by considering factors such as the individual wishes of the parents and of the child if they are old enough. How a child relates with the parents, their siblings, and others in their household is also considered. The courts also consider whether there is any physical violence or threat of it from the potential custodian, whether it is directed to the child or someone else in the household.
Visitation rights
In situations where custody is shared, visitation schedules are set up to establish how much time each child will spend with each parent. If you have court-ordered visitation plans that give the parent that does not have custody permission to spend every other weekend, some weekdays, and some holidays with the child. However, parents are allowed to submit other visitation agreements for the court to approve.
Planning holidays can be touchy for children and parents when the pain of the divorce and formalizing it are still going on. The Law Office of Michael P. Doman Ltd. Chicago divorce attorneys understand this and help clients to come up with visitation schedules that the courts will approve and that are fair and agreeable to both parents and the children.
Sometimes, one of the parents may try to restrict a grandparent’s access to the children. It may also happen that a grandparent is appointed as a child’s primary caregiver by the courts. The Chicago divorce attorneys at The Law Office of Michael P. Doman Ltd. can help grandparents to get visitation rights such as around holidays or get legal guardianship of their grandchild. Contact us and let us help you ensure that your child or grandchild will be happy, well cared for, and enjoy happy holidays despite their family being broken.