Child Custody Lawyers Elmhurst

Child Custody Lawyers Elmhurst

In Illinois, child custody is referred to as parenting time, which refers to the schedule by which your children will divide their time between you and their other parent post-divorce. Parenting time is a critical element of any divorce that involves children, but modifications of existing parenting time orders and the establishment of parenting time for parents who were never married is also common. An experienced child custody lawyer in Elmhurst can help.

Parenting Time

Illinois courts base their decisions about parenting time on the best interests of the children involved, and as such, their preference is that parents share parenting time. The prevailing wisdom is that children’s best interests are nearly universally upheld when they are allowed to maintain a close relationship with both parents (barring a compelling reason for ruling otherwise). 

While the court must approve your parenting time schedule, it is very likely to do so if you and your children’s other parent are able to devise one between yourselves (which can be as specific to your family’s time constraints and preferences as you want it to be). If, on the other hand, the court’s intervention is required, you will very likely receive one of the state’s standard parenting time schedules. 

Significant Decision-Making Responsibility

In Addition to parenting time, Illinois addresses the parents’ significant decision-making responsibilities for their child. This refers to who will be making the important parenting decisions moving forward, including those related to the following:

• Your children’s schooling
• Your children’s healthcare needs
• Your children’s religious upbringing
• Your children’s extracurricular activities and travel

Your options when it comes to this responsibility include all the following:

• You and your children’s other parent make the decisions together.  
• You and your children’s other parent make the decisions together, but one of you has tie-breaking authority (in the event that the need arises).
• You and your children’s other parent split this decision-making authority according to the kinds of decisions that are being made.
• One of you takes on sole decision-making authority.

Best Interests of the Children

Some of the primary best-interest factors that come into play when the court makes parenting time determinations include:

• Each child’s level of adjustment to his or her current home, school, and community 
• The physical and mental health of each parent and each child
• Each parent’s wishes
• Each child’s wishes (if the child is deemed old enough and mature enough to contribute in this way)
• Each parent’s ability to cooperate and communicate openly with the other parent
• Each parent’s ability and willingness to facilitate and support the other parent’s ongoing relationship with the children
• Each parent’s historical level of contribution to raising the children

An Experienced Child Custody Lawyer in Elmhurst Is in Your Corner

If you’re facing a parenting time concern, Cameron H. Goodman at Goodman Law Firm in Elmhurst is a trusted child custody lawyer who has the experience, compassion, and legal insight to help. Your case is important, so please don’t hesitate to contact us for more information today.