Protecting Your Relationship With Your Children

It is public policy in Florida to ensure that each minor child has frequent and continuing contact with both parents after separation or divorce. Florida laws encourage parents to share the rights, responsibilities, and joys of childrearing. The overarching standard courts follow in determining child-related issues is first and foremost, the best interests of the child. 

Children’s issues fall under two areas: parental responsibility and timesharing. Parental responsibility is the right of each parent to participate in decision-making for a minor child over areas including education/academics, health care, child care, activities, religion and other aspects of parenting unique to each family or situation. Parental responsibility is not “custody” and does not define a child’s residence or what contact each parent enjoys with a child. A judge will order parents share responsibility for a child unless doing so is detrimental to the child.