California law allows parents to share custody of their children if it makes sense to do so. However, there are many reasons why parents may not want to share custody and instead come up with a solution that preserves the best interest of the child. It’s important to understand that giving up custody may be worthwhile even if you aren’t a danger to your child.
Only one parent can provide
If you live hundreds of miles away from your child, you won’t be able to be home after school or pick your child up from soccer practice. You also won’t be able to have the child overnight or otherwise be physically present on a regular basis. In such a scenario, visitation may be better than custody as it provides greater stability for your child. The same might be true if you work odd hours or don’t live in a safe part of town.
There is a potential for abuse
A parent who has a history of physical, emotional or other forms of abuse against children or adults may not be fit to be a custodial parent. Even if the child isn’t being abused, being in a home where abuse occurs can still have negative consequences on a young person’s mental health. A judge would likely expect that parent to make a number of changes before issuing a joint child custody order.
As a parent, your job is to do whatever is best for your child even if it may be inconvenient for you. This might mean that you have to give up custody of your kid even if you don’t think that doing so is necessary. A custody order may be revisited every year or two to determine if it can or should be changed.