Up until the middle of the 1800s it was commonly believed in the eyes of the law that children always belonged to the father. There was little question as to where they would go if one parent chose to leave behind London to Riverdale homes for a new life alone. But, with the Industrial Revolution came a shift that would gradually see women and mothers getting more rights from then all the way to today. Now, many parents choose to have joint custody over their kids once they separate or get divorced.
There are two forms of custody that exist in North America. Physical custody means that the child is actually living with and cared for by both parents. Legal custody refers to cases where the child only lives with one of the parents but both are able to access the child's records. In some cases it is entirely up to the parents what they choose to do. There may be one parent who knows that their child will not have room in their Toronto loft but could live quite comfortably in their other parent's single-family home. Other times, unfortunately, there is a custody battle that needs to be decided by the court.
In most custody agreements it is assumed that the parents will share the responsibilities and time equally. Their might be a schedule that is set by the parents or the court that coincides with the best interest of the child. If they are enrolled in an English course Canada based, for instance, and the other parent lives in America than the schedule might look a little different than that for two parents who only live a few kilometers from each other. Here, the child could likely live a similar life at both houses without too much disruption.
Each custody agreement should be in writing and should be made according to the needs of the child as well as those of the parent. While you want to make sure that you can afford diapers or school supplies right now, you also need to think about how your situation might change in the future. There are some families that have very alternative agreements when it comes to their joint custody. For instance, you might decide that instead of moving the child from one house to another that the parents come in and out. This way they can keep their kids room decor and same neighborhood with less disruption to their day-to-day routine.
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