No doubt divorcing couples have many decisions to make. If the couple has kids, one of the most important decisions any New Jersey couple must make revolves around child custody. There may be a host of questions each person may have about custody issues. It may be easier for a couple to agree to custody terms if they have some clarification on certain issues.
For instance, years ago it was almost unheard of that a man would get custody of his children. Things have improved and most family court judges agree that a father can be as nurturing to his children as can their mother, so if a man wants custody of his children, he doesn’t have any less chance of obtaining custody than the children’s mother. It was thought that children were better off in the custody of their mothers, but it has been shown that children do just as well-being with a caring, stable father, although the ideal situation for children is to have both parents in their lives as co-parents.
Also, how much a parent earns doesn’t usually play into who gets custody of the children. If one parent earns more than the other, a family court judge will usually use this in determining child support rather than child custody. However, if one parent cannot provide children adequate care because of the amount of time he or she works, that may be a determining factor in who should be with the children on a consistent basis.
There are many areas at which a family court judge will look when deciding on child custody if parents can’t come to an agreement on their own. Getting the advice of a New Jersey attorney may help provided a client with some clarification on questions about child custody that seem confusing or overwhelming. Deciding on child custody is the most crucial decision divorcing parents can make and being clear on what those decisions may mean may make the process much less taxing.