In many divorce cases, parents will still end up living in the same town or city. They live relatively close together, and they may share physical custody. A very simple example of a custody schedule could be having the children live with a different parent every other week.
But in other cases, the court will give one parent visitation rights. They still get to see the child and spend time together, but they do not have primary custody. The child spends the majority of their time with one parent, and the other parent comes to visit them periodically, such as coming over for dinner or spending the weekend together. What are some situations in which visitation rights are more useful than other custody arrangements?
Complicated schedules
In some cases, it is simply that one parent does not have a schedule that is conducive to having primary custody.
For example, one parent may be a professional athlete or a member of the military. They may be an entertainer or an artist, or they may be a businessperson who travels internationally. Because they are often out of town, it does not make much sense to give them full custody of the child. But when they are back in town, they still want visitation rights so they can stop in and see their child, giving them a chance to reconnect and focus on their relationship.
Safety issues
In other cases, courts will order a parent to use supervised visitation. This means that they can see the child, but another adult has to be present at the same time.
This often occurs if there are potential safety issues, such as when one parent has a history of drug abuse or drunk driving charges that make it dangerous for the child to be with them exclusively. That parent still loves the child and wants to have a relationship with them, but this arrangement helps keep the child safe.
Dividing child custody rights can be complex, and there are many ways to do so. Parents must be well aware of their legal rights at this time.