How does a court decide which parent will get custody of a child?
A. The court decides what is in the best interest of the child. Some factors that the court would consider are history of parenting, spousal or child abuse, the ability of each parent to support the child’s relationship with the other parent, the ability of a parent to put the child’s needs ahead of his/her own needs, and even the child’s wishes, if the child is mature enough to express his/her wishes.
When the parents cannot agree on a custody arrangement, the court will make that decision for them after considering the particular circumstances of those parties, with the overriding consideration being the child’s best interests. The things that the court considers when making this decision include: the child’s age; the child’s gender; the child’s physical and mental health; the parent’s physical and mental health; the parents’ lifestyles; any history of abuse; the emotional bonds between each parent and the child or children; the parents’ ability to give the child guidance; the parents’ ability to provide the basic necessities, such as food, clothing and shelter; the child’s routines, including home, school, community, and religious activities; the willingness of the parent to encourage a healthy, on-going relationship between the child and the other parent; and the child’s preference (if the child is old enough). In many cases, a consideration of these factors results in awarding c
When the parents cannot agree on a custody arrangement, the court will make the decision for them after considering the totality of the circumstances, with the overriding consideration being the child’s best interests. To make that determination, the court considers: The child’s age; The child’s gender; The child’s physical and mental health; The parents’ physical and mental health; The parents’ lifestyles; Any history of abuse; The emotional bonds between the parent and the child; The parent’s ability to give the child guidance; The parent’s ability to provide the basic necessities, such as food, shelter, clothing, and medical care; The child’s routines, including home, school, community, and religious; The willingness of the parent to encourage a healthy, on-going relationship between the child and the other parent; and If the child is above a certain age, the child’s preference. In many cases, a consideration of these factors results in awarding custody to the parent who has been th
When the parents cannot agree on a custody arrangement, the court will make the decision for them after considering the totality of the circumstances, with the overriding consideration being the child’s best interests. To make that determination, the court considers: • The child’s age; • The child’s gender; • The child’s physical and mental health; • The parents’ physical and mental health; • The parents’ lifestyles; • Any history of abuse; • The emotional bonds between the parent and the child; • The parent’s ability to give the child guidance; • The parent’s ability to provide the basic necessities, such as food, shelter, clothing, and medical care; • The child’s routines, including home, school, community, and religious; • The willingness of the parent to encourage a healthy, on-going relationship between the child and the other parent; and • If the child is above a certain age, the child’s preference. In many cases, a consideration of these factors results in awarding custody to th
