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What are the benefits of sole custody?

On Behalf of | Jan 19, 2018 | Child Custody

Divorcing parents in Pennsylvania have a lot of decisions to make, and they have to be made quickly. The choices you pick will not only impact your life, but will have a heavy influence on the life of your child, too. For these reasons, you may be considering sole custody over joint custody.

Joint custody does have its own benefits. However, not every situation will allow you to take advantage of said benefits, and they might not even be what you’re looking for. FindLaw states that the primary benefit of sole custody is that you won’t have to rely on your ex-spouse for any decisions that you make for your child. Under joint custody, you would have to make joint decisions for important and life-shaping things, such as:

  • Education
  • Religion
  • Medical choices
  • Lifestyle choices

Essentially, anything that will change the course of your child’s life or have a big impact needs to get the okay from both parents in a situation where joint custody is held.

However, joint parenting isn’t a style that works for everyone. If there are irreconcilable differences between your parenting styles, or if your marriage was abusive, then sole custody will likely be your better option. It should also be noted that visitation rights aren’t affected by whether or not you have shared or sole custody.

Custody options are there to suit different lifestyles and situations. If you see yourself benefiting the most from having sole custody of your child, then you might want to pursue this option first.

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