In your divorce proceedings, you may not care how your alimony or property division orders play out as much as your child custody arrangement. Understandably so, this may be an emotional negotiation process for you, your spouse, and even your child who is the subject matter. But you must have faith in knowing that the New Jersey family court will make a decision that works in the best interest of all parties involved, but especially your child. Read on to discover which custody arrangement is best for your child and how a seasoned Bergen County child custody attorney at McNerney & McAuliffe can help you overcome any challenges that may arise with your schedule.
What custody arrangement is in the best interest of my child?
More often than not, the New Jersey family court will grant a joint custody arrangement. This means that you and your spouse will share equal physical and legal custody over your child. Equal physical custody means your child will spend 50 percent of their time under your care and the other half under your spouse’s care. Equal legal custody means you and your spouse are responsible for making joint decisions regarding your child’s healthcare, schooling, religious practices, and other major issues.
The court strives toward a joint custody arrangement because it believes it to be in the child’s best interest to remain close to both parents. In other words, your child’s relationship with you or your spouse should not suffer simply because you two decide to part ways. Only if the court finds you or your spouse an unfit parent may it stray away from this custody arrangement.
What challenges are commonly faced in a joint custody arrangement?
As you can likely predict, it may be difficult for you and your spouse to coordinate a joint custody arrangement if you struggled with such teamwork during your marriage. More specific challenges you may face with this custody type read as follows:
- You and your spouse may struggle with enforcing the same responsibilities for your child across households (i.e., chores, homework, etc).
- You and your spouse may struggle with instilling the same routine for your child across households (i.e., bedtime routine, mealtime routine, etc).
- You and your spouse may struggle with fulfilling the same parental duties for your child across households (i.e., cooking meals, chauffeuring, supervising, etc).
Nonetheless, it is important that you and your spouse put your differences aside for the sake of your child’s happiness and overall well-being. At the end of the day, you can rely on a competent Bergen County family law attorney to serve as the support system you need during this difficult time. So please seek the legal counsel of McNerney & McAuliffe today.
