In my upcoming custody battle how will the court define the primary caregiver?

Many times when parents are deciding child custody issues after a separation or divorce, they will agree to primary and/ legal custody. However, when parents can’t find common ground, a family court judge will make the decision. When making the determination, the judge may want to determine the child’s primary caregiver before the custody petition.

In child custody cases, the primary caregiver is defined as the parent responsible for the daily tasks involved in raising the child. There are many factors the family court judge may consider when determining which parent should be the primary caregiver. For instances, some factors include (but are not limited to putting the child to bed at night, feeding and dressing the child. Also, the primary caregiver is generally involved in teaching the child how to read and write and making medical appointments.

Many times, according to Nolo, a family court judge may award custody to the parent who has been the child’s primary caregiver when the child is young. However, the judge may want to understand who the primary caregiver was when other factors such as each parent’s mental and physical health and emotional bond to the child don’t clearly favor one parent over the other.

Child custody battles are very complicated because the family court judge considers many factors when determining primary or joint custody issues. Therefore, each parent should consult a lawyer who specializes in child custody cases. The lawyer will review the parent’s case and fight for the best custody agreement.