Parents have to make decisions on their children’s behalf all the time. When parents are married and their child reaches the age where they’re supposed to enroll in kindergarten, the parents pick out the school. Married parents often have to cooperate and work together to make these types of choices.
When those parents get divorced, however, they have to split up their legal custody rights. Legal custody defines who can make these important choices. In some cases, parents still share legal custody, so they have to continue working together even after the marriage ends. In other cases, one parent will be given sole legal custody, so they get to make all the decisions on their own—even when the child sometimes lives with their ex. But what types of decisions are they going to make?
Major life decisions
There are many different examples of potential decisions parents need to make, but some of the most common include:
- What type of education the child should get
- What school they should be enrolled in or if they should switch schools
- What extracurricular activities the child is going to participate in
- What type of medical care they should receive or what healthcare should be provided to them
- What pediatrician they should see when they are young
- What religion the child should be a part of or be exposed to
As you can imagine, parents often disagree. If two parents are strong members of different religions, for example, they may each believe the child should only be exposed to their own religion. Or parents who are choosing a pediatrician may have differing opinions regarding the child’s healthcare needs, such as what vaccines they should receive.
At times like these, it’s very important for parents to understand all their legal rights and the steps they need to take.