Legal and Physical Custody

LEGAL AND PHYSICAL CUSTODY — YOU Decide how to share custody and raise your children, don’t let the judge decide!



Learn about the legal and physical aspects of child custody rights and responsibilities. Get a clear understanding of how life and parenting will change with new living situations, expense sharing, parenting roles, and other factors.

Use Kids First! to get expert legal tips and parenting advice for decisions about sensitive issues like religion, housing, drugs,alcohol, and parent contact. Parents can work together for the benefit of the child by sharing custody or attempt to limit the rights of the other parent by seeking sole custody.

Find out why judges favor joint custody where parents equally share parenting and learn the risks when one parent seeks sole custody without a good reason or justification. Learn when shared custody is not appropriate because of the behavior or history of the parent and how to win sole custody, hopefully without a lengthy custody fight. Experts agree that it is in the best interest of the children when separating and divorcing parents work together to co parent their children.

KidsFirst! can simplify custody and co-parenting for you by quickly and easily creating parenting plans, custody agreements, and parenting calendars. If you want a free Safe Child Plan, Emergency or Community Contact List, Child-Parent or Child-School Contract Kids First! will create those for you too.

KidsFirst! provides step-by-step guidance to deal with real custody
issues and in-depth custody advice to avoid major custody battles. Use the KidsFirst! online visitation and co-parenting calendar to avoid custody issues that result in court and custody battles.

When dealing with legal and physical custody issues within a custody agreement and a parenting plan, KidsFirst! helps parents understand the full impact that parenting decisions can have, both in court and at home. KidsFirst! provides custody laws of all 50 states so that parents can create custody agreements and parenting plans that will be approved by the family court judge because they are in the “best interests of the child.”

Whatever your issues or options, legal or physical custody, joint or sole custody, collaborative divorce or litigation, KidsFirst! can help.
Well-written parenting plans and custody agreements can avoid custody battles because they provide both parents with clear agreements and boundaries so there are no misunderstandings.
For example, one parent may favor vaccinations and the other may not, so KidsFirst! helps parents avoid fighting by providing education through direct links to outside resources, like the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

KidsFirst! provides separating, divorcing, and single parents guidance to develop “rules of engagement” for legal and physical custody:

• Determine the right “fit” for each parent based upon the “best interests of
  the child” and parent collaboration.
• Weigh the pros and cons of sole or joint custody and when to challenge.
• Identify the best parent to take the lead for legal and physical custody
  responsibilities.
• Ensure that all custody agreements and parenting plans comply with state child custody laws and requirements.
• Include custody, visitation, and co-parenting rights for other family members such as grandparents, siblings, step parents, etc. after separation and divorce.
• Understand why joint custody is favored by judges, therapists, and mediators if in the “best interests of the child.”
• Allow each parent individual access to avoid contact with the other parent and reduce unnecessary stress on children and parents.
• Change agreements and plans instantly when change is required.

Understand How Legal and Physical Custody Works

Kids First! includes guidance and comments from legal experts to help you understand parent and grandparent rights. TRY KidsFirst! RISK FREE TODAY! Experience first-hand how easily this affordable, online collaborative law software program uses questions to automatically generate your parenting plan and related forms for legal and physical custody.

Learn How Judges Decide Sole or Joint Custody

When parents engage in a custody battle, usually the child loses if even one parent wins sole custody. Sometimes the past behaviors (anger, threats, domestic violence) or criminal record or allegation (sex offender, drug user/dealer, neglect or abuse) may dictate that one parent has sole custody. KidsFirst! explains the “best interest of the child” and other legal standards that judges use when reviewing the facts of a custody case. Knowing the law and thinking used by a judge when creating your custody agreement and parenting plan can help a judge decide in your favor during a custody battle.

Learn How Judges Decide Legal and Physical Custody

Judges occasionally grant joint custody but divide legal and physical custody responsibilities between parents. KidsFirst! explains the reasons a judge makes these decisions and provides parents with the steps to take when seeking legal or physical custody. More often than not, judges decide based upon the presentation of the argument within a parenting plan and not on an impassioned plea from an emotional parent. KidsFirst! guides parents to creating a clear custody agreement and parenting plan that judges will immediately understand and accept.

The KidsFirst! child custody agreement and parenting plan are integrated with the visitation calendar.