Custody & Kidnapping

Often times, joint custody orders can be specifically tailored to meet the needs of the parties. Sometimes, instead of having the parents discuss major issues regarding the child and agree upon one solution, the court may divide up the different spheres between the parents so that each parent has sole decision-making power over one aspect of the child’s life. For example, one parent may have control over decisions regarding the child’s education and religion and the other parent may have sole power over medical decisions. Sometimes, dividing up the spheres works if the parents cannot communicate well or if there are issues of domestic abuse where one party is controlling over the other and so there can never really be a true back and forth discussion and joint decision. Another possible way to have a joint custody agreement when the parents do not communicate could be that the parents agree to communicate through email or another means that doesn’t cause arguments - or sometimes there may be a parenting coordinator or mediator assigned to work through issues regarding where the parents cannot agree on a decision. I don’t know specifically what the court may do in your county or in your situation but talking to a lawyer who does custody cases in your county/state may be the best way to get specific advice on any options you may have to keep joint custody but to try to ask the court to change some of the details of the custody agreement. Here is a link for lawyers, free and paid: LINK

Do you know whether or not your custody order lays out specific instructions as to what to do if the parents do not agree. For example, does it call for mediation, or a parenting coordinator or allowing either party to file in court to have the judge decide the issue. If you are unsure, you may want to show your order to a lawyer. If there is nothing written in there, asking a lawyer whether or not you may need to modify the order to allow for some type of decision-maker in these cases or whether or not you may want to try to modify the order in the way described above (if that is an option in your state) may be something to figure out.