Custody Attorneys Naperville

If you are facing a concern that relates to custody of your children, it is a primary concern that should receive professional legal attention. Your rights as a parent and your emotional connection to your children are far too important not to protect them by whatever means available, and an experienced custody attorney in Naperville can help you with that. 

Your Parental Responsibilities

A critical aspect of custody in Illinois is parental responsibilities, which equate with what you may think of as legal custody. Parental responsibilities guide how you and your children’s other parent will address the matter of making important decisions related to your children’s lives moving forward. The kinds of decisions involved include:

• Decisions related to the health care your children receive
• Decisions related to your children’s schooling
• Decisions related to your children’s extracurricular activities and travel
• Decisions related to your children’s religious upbringing
• Decisions related to where your children live

While you and your ex can share these responsibilities equally by making each decision via consensus, the following are also options:

• You and your ex can make the decisions together – knowing that one of you has tie-breaking authority if your attempts at negotiation ultimately prove ineffective. 
• You and your ex can split the responsibility according to the kind of decision that needs to be made. 
• One of you can take on this parental responsibility entirely on your own. 

In emergency situations and when it comes to the everyday decisions that make getting through the day possible, the parent who is on duty or available at the time must make all necessary decisions. 

Your Parenting Time

Parenting time refers to what you may think of as physical custody (or visitation). If you and your children’s other parent are able to negotiate mutually acceptable terms between yourselves, you can hammer out virtually any parenting time schedule that works for you. If you’re unable to come to an agreement, however, you’ll need the court to assign you a parenting time schedule, and you can expect it to be one of its standard models. When it comes to parenting time schedules, there are only the following two basic classifications:

• One of you has more overnights with the children, making this parent the primary custodial parent. 
• You both split overnights with the children more or less equally. 

Relevant Factors

Some of the factors that the court takes into consideration when making decisions regarding parenting time include:

• The children’s best interests are always the court’s primary guide. 
• If the child is deemed old enough and mature enough to voice a meaningful preference, he or she may be allowed to weigh in.
• Each parent’s preference will be considered.
• Each parent’s level of involvement in the children’s lives to date will play a role. 

Discuss Your Concerns with an Experienced Custody Attorney in Naperville

If you have legal concerns related to child custody, the dedicated custody attorneys at SLG Family Law in Naperville take them seriously and are well prepared to help. Learn more by reaching out and contacting us today.