Macon, Georgia Child custody terms
When it comes to child custody in Macon, Georgia , there are a lot of terms that can get thrown around. Usually, it can be very easy to misunderstand what precisely these terms mean. On the one hand, the term like “custody” has a literal meaning. When you have custody of something, it means that you have physical possession of that thing. However, few parents would speak about their children as being a “possession” in the way that jewelry or a car might be a possession. Custody, as it relates to child custody, is a legal term, which carries with it very specific legal meanings and underpinnings that you have to be know what a phrase like “full child custody” means.
In Macon, Georgia there are two specific concepts that child custody refers to. The first area that child custody refers to is the area of legal obligations and rights. Generally except when there is a forceful reason for the judge to hold otherwise, parents will share joint legal custody of their children in a divorce. Both parents have the right and responsibility to make decisions for the child in vital fields like education, instruction in religion, and health care. If parents have shared or joint legal custody, both parents will have the complete authority to act on the child’s behalf in these areas. If only one parent has full legal custody, then only that parent has the right to take such decisions. But, it is only in exceptional circumstances, such as if one parent has been convicted of child abuse or endangerment, that there would be sole legal custody.
The second area that child custody refers to is physical custody. Having full physical custody of a child means that the child stays with you a vast majority of the time. But it does not mean that the non-custodial parent cannot see the child, or that the child cannot stay with the non-custodial parent. It just indicates that the child lives with you primarily. The non-custodial parent shall still often retain joint legal custody even if you retain full child custody in the physical area. Besides, the non-custodial parent may still also have specific visitation rights that you must, by law, comply with even if you have full physical child custody.
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