Schaumburg Child Custody Lawyer

If you are facing a legal matter that involves your parental rights, it is naturally a serious concern that requires your utmost attention. Protecting your ongoing relationship with your children, the amount of time you are able to spend with them, and your parental influence is paramount, and the professional legal counsel of an experienced Schaumburg child custody lawyer can help. 

Your Rights as a Parent

Illinois no longer uses the term child custody but, instead, has adopted the terms parental responsibilities and parenting time, which encompasses prior child custody issues. The basic legal concepts related to your parental rights have not changed with this change in terminology. Parenting issues are very common in divorce, but they are often the focus of post-decree modifications as well. Further, parents who are not married often have parenting concerns that must be addressed by the court.

Parental Responsibilities

Parents shoulder significant responsibilities for their children, and a primary component of these responsibilities is making major decisions on behalf of their children. The kinds of decisions that make up parental responsibilities guide children’s lives and include:

• Decisions related to their schooling
• Decisions related to their healthcare needs
• Decisions related to their extracurricular activities
• Decisions related to their religious education

You and your children’s other parent have all the following options when it comes to determining how you will address the matter of parental responsibilities, including:

• One of you can make these decisions on your own. 
• You can make each of these decisions together. 
• One of you can take on the authority to break a tie – if you find yourselves hopelessly deadlocked over a decision.
• You can divide the decisions between yourselves according to the category of decision that is being made.

It is important to point out here that those decisions that parents are required to make on an ongoing and regular basis – such as making lunch plans, choosing afternoon activities, and so much more – remain the responsibility of the parent who is with the children at the time. 

Parenting Time

Parenting time is what you think of when you consider physical custody. Parenting time determines when your shared children will be with you and when they will be with their other parent. If you and the other parent are able to negotiate mutually acceptable terms between yourselves, your scheduling options are nearly limitless. If not, however, you can expect to receive one of the court’s standard parenting time schedules. In the end, your basic options include one of you becoming the primary custodial parent or both of you splitting your parenting time more evenly. 

An Experienced Schaumburg Child Custody Lawyer Can Help

The seasoned Schaumburg child custody lawyers at SAM LAW OFFICE, LLC, have the experience, legal drive, and keen insight that you are looking for to help protect your parental rights throughout your parenting case. We are on your side and here to help, so please do not hesitate to contact us for more information today.