Joint Custody of Children
It is common for a divorcing parent to worry about losing his or her child in a divorce-or that a divorce means he or she won’t be as important in his or her child’s life as before. Kansas courts generally believe that a children has a right to have access to both parents. But what does that mean?
When each parent has an equal voice in making important decisions concerning a child’s future, it is called joint custody. Those decisions include issues like religion, education, and medical treatment. Joint custody means that neither parent has a greater right to decide what is in the child’s best interest than the other. Joint custody is the most common custody arrangement.
Joint custody means equal decision-making rights, but it does not mean that the children will spend equaltime with each parent. Ideally, the parents (with the help of their lawyers or mediators) will be able to arrange a parenting schedule that will accommodate the needs of their children and their work schedules and maximize the time each parent can spend with the child. If the parents are able to agree on a schedule, the court will presume that it …