The most common issue that comes up in local child custody cases is when parents cannot agree on a parenting time schedule. Very often, both parents want to have primary physical custody of their children, meaning the kids would live most of the time with that parent and have less time with the other. That can cause a lot of conflict and make it a heavily litigated case.
Parents also commonly disagree on education, like whether their child will attend private versus public school or if they should be homeschooled instead. A child’s medical issues can also create contention in the courtroom during a custody battle.
When both parents are not on the same page about big decisions involving their kids, an experienced custody attorney from our firm can offer creative solutions to many common child custody issues in Atlanta, GA.
It is extremely common for issues to present themselves after a custody arrangement has been agreed upon. This is because it’s impossible to anticipate every issue that could arise in the future when drafting a parenting schedule. For instance, if one parent moves further away from the other, it can cause problems with transportation and schedules.
Children’s needs also change over time. For example, if a child is diagnosed with ADHD after the custody case is finalized, the Georgia agreement may need to be modified to accommodate their learning disability, and parents may disagree about whether their child should be medicated.
These issues tend to be a frequent problem in Atlanta custody cases because co-parents do not typically get along after divorce. Two co-parents may have very different priorities or even lifestyles, so that can lead to conflict. However, the best way to avoid or mitigate some of these common custody issues is to keep an amicable relationship with your co-parent.
The better you can co-parent, the better you can resolve issues when circumstances change. Kids have different interests that change as they grow, but the conflict can be avoided by working at your co-parenting relationship. You can even try going to co-parenting counseling when big issues come up after the divorce.
If a child is not in any extracurricular activities at the time of divorce but wants to join one afterwards, parents may need to work out a modified schedule for travel and practice days, which can also lead to conflict. Another example of a scheduling disagreement is when parents must decide whether their child should be in therapy. One parent may not want to take the child to therapy during their time, leading to conflict. Additionally, some parents do not want children spending much time in summer camp, but the co-parent might want otherwise.
Parents in varying financial circumstances may have disagreements about how to handle their children’s medical issues. If the parent with final decision-making authority on medical issues wants to have a very expensive and experimental treatment for their child, the other parent might not agree with that. Situations such as this can lead to issues with legal custody and questions about who should be able to make those decisions.
The age of the child can have a large impact on the outcome of a custody case in Georgia. When a child reaches the age of 11, Atlanta courts can consider their preference. At 14 and older, a child can elect which parent to live with.
The age of the child can also impact the parents’ visitation schedule. For example, if an infant is still breastfeeding, there is probably going to be a different visitation schedule than for a child who is 5 years old. Furthermore, older children are more likely to have complicated extracurricular activity schedules, which could create more issues between co-parents during an Atlanta custody dispute.
The way that courts, judges, and even guardians ad litem look at parenting issues might not match up with the way you look at parenting issues. A local attorney can help you avoid common child custody issues in Atlanta, GA by anticipating which factors judges put a lot of weight on and which ones they typically disregard. Our attorneys can advise you on presenting evidence to the court and how to behave during custody litigation to improve your chances of reaching a favorable case outcome.