Joint Custody This arrangement is used when parents agree to share decision-making rights over their child s upbringing. Usually, parents agree to coordinate their schedules so that joint custody will work. Sometimes, a court orders the parents to do it. Joint custody of a child may be joint physical custody, joint legal custody, or both. On the other hand, physical custody allows you to have your child live with you. You can get both legal and physical rights in either sole or joint custody. Sole custody gives both legal and physical rights to only one parent. In contrast, joint custody allows both parents to share decisions regarding their children s upbringing. In other states, the courts have the discretion to determine how much relevance it will put on the child s preference regarding his or her custody. The child must be legally competent to testify in court, meaning he or she understands what the child custody hearings are all about and knows the difference between truth and lies. Since kids feel embarrassed with all the things that have occurred, discussed and divulged during the child custody case hearing, they will develop extreme shyness that will hamper their social communication skills and may eventually affect his or her overall personality. 4. Low performance in school. By talking to these people, you will have an idea what are the things that you should and should not do. You can also get first hand tips on what you should expect before, during and after the child custody case. The next important step in filing for a child custody case is finding a court in the county that you are in that are fit to handle various custody cases which is the family court. When parents divorce or separate (whether married or unmarried), it is a common occurrence that the father is denied access to the children by the mother. When the issue is resolved in the courts, the issue of child support overpowers that of the father having to gain access to their children. Nowadays, some lawyers argue that a mother denying the unmarried father access to the child may not be in the best interest of the child.