Divorce: Which Parent should make legal and education decisions?

Nowadays, many divorce cases end up with each of the parents getting even parenting rights over the child. In this kind of situation, both parents get to spend equal time with the child and have 50/50 rights over the child. But one other important question that needs to be cleared up is, "Which parent should make educational, legal and other decisions on the child?" Usually, the most common answer is "both parents" but to make things easier, a family law practice in Orlando could help lay this matter to rest in a professional manner.

In Florida, the divorce statute orders parents to make use of the shared parenting responsibility that they have on their child. What this means is that for every important decision that needs to be taken, both parents have to discuss and make a joint decision on what should be done. If they are unable to agree, then mediation may be required, or they could file a motion and set it for hearing or even better, engage a family law practice in Orlando. And family law practice in Orlando will tell you that courts place a high value on shared parenting and if one parent continues to violate their shared parenting responsibility, it is assumed that such parent does not have the child's best interests at heart.

In shared parenting, the most important decisions that parents have to jointly make include legal, educational, medical and other similar decisions that are vital to the child's wellbeing. For instance, if one parent decides to change the child's school without consulting the other parent for their opinion, then such parent needs to rethink their actions. Any family law practice in Orlando will make you understand that the courts frown at such actions. Both parents need to always have joint decision-making process as it is not only important for shared parenting to work but also important that the child sees that both his/her parents are actively involved in his upbringing.

Another issue that comes up in shared parenting is when deciding on which parent's home address will be used for legal purposes and which one will be sued for school district purposes. Often, parents agree that the parent whose home address is closer to the particular district will be used so that there will be no need for the child to change schools. The Supreme Court approved parenting plan also states that the parent whose address is used for school designation and other legal purposes will continue to have untethered access to child custody as much as the other parent. When parents fight and disagree over educational issues for their child, this is seen as a problem that can get in the way of an amicable settlement. So, it is important that parents consult the services of a firm that engages in family law practice in Orlando to help weather through all these issues so that the best possible resolution can be arrived at.