1. Courts decide custody by determining the "best interests" of the child and considering
2. A parent's fitness;
3. The relationship between parent and child; and
4. Influences on the child's growth and development.
   
   A judge may weigh the preference of a child based on age and maturity; prior to twelve a child's preferences have limited influence. Courts are very reluctant to separate siblings in the absence of an overwhelming need. Many states prohibit determinations based on gender and men are increasingly being granted custody. There are, basically, three types of custody, but within each title there is little limit to how the custodial arrangement will be structured:

1. Sole Custody - An arrangement whereby only one parent has physical and legal custody of a child and the other parent (generally) has rights to visit with the child.
2. Joint Custody - With Joint Custody while one parent will still be the physical custodian of the child both parents will enjoy a shared role in the making of decisions to be made on substantial questions relating to educational issues, religious matters, medical options and other significant issues which may present themselves in a child's life. Titling a custodial arrangement as 'joint custody' will do little to foster the spirit of true joint custody, which benefits both parent and child alike, if both parents fail to exert their best efforts to work cooperatively.
3. Shared Custody - Defined in section 9 of the Federal Child Support Guidelines as a situation where each spouse "exercises a right of access to, or has physical custody of, a child [of the marriage] for not less than 40 per cent of the time over the course of a year." Shared custody is actually a variant of joint custody in which each parent has periods of physical custody of the child generally intended to divide the time as close to equally as is practical. To give this relationship its best chance of success (and to be fair to the child) the parties generally need to live in close proximity to each other so the child is always close to school and friends.

Although sole custody is favored in some states, joint custody is appropriate when the parties state they can cooperate on issues relating to the children. Unfortunately, in order to reduce legal costs and speed the process, couples often agree to joint custody while truly being unable to parent together, thus making for future problems.

Visitation: Visitation is viewed as part of the joint right of the child and non-custodial parent to an ongoing relationship. The love and guidance of the non-custodial parent is highly valued and promoted by the court in the absence of any factors which would be harmful to the child.

Relocation (with the children): The Courts use a "best interests of the child" standard to decide whether a parent will be able to re-locate away from the geographic area where the non-custodial parent resides. The court will consider:

1. Each parent's reasons for seeking or opposing the move.
2. The quality of the relationships between the child and the custodial and non-custodial parents.
3. The impact of the move on the quantity and quality of the child's future contact with the non-custodial parent.
4. The degree to which the custodial parent's and child's life may be enhanced economically, emotionally and educationally by the move.
5. The feasibility of preserving the relationship between the non-custodial parent and child through suitable visitation arrangements, and
6. The negative impact, if any, from continued or exacerbated hostility between the custodial and non-custodial parents, and the effect that the move may have on any extended family relationships.

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