Sole legal custody, also called sole parenting responsibility, means taking care of and being the primary parent of your child. You will be responsible for making all of the decisions for your child. While fighting for custody, most parents usually only think about the sole physical custody. However, they should understand that it is not the only custody that should be considered. Determining legal custody is also equally important. A parent who has sole custody of the child will be the one to make major life decisions on behalf of the child. They will have the legal authority to do so. You can refer to the Custody Law in Pekin, IL, to know more about this topic.

While keeping all this in mind, you should know that sole physical custody is not similar to sole legal custody. Having sole physical custody will mean that the child will only stay at one parent’s residence, that means at one location. However, the non-custodial parent can visit the child for vacations or for sleepovers. There might be a chance that visitation is not granted to the non-custodial parent. This can occur because the child might not be safe with the non-custodial parent, or because of the parent’s substance abuse, negligence towards the child, and so on.

Having sole physical custody will not mean that the parent who has it will be completely responsible for making the decisions for the child. For this, sole legal custody is required, which enables the parent the legal right to make decisions on behalf of the child. Sometimes, both the sole legal custody and sole physical custody of the child can be awarded to the same parent. However, this is not common in all cases. 

Pros of sole legal custody

The amount of conflict is considerably reduced because of the lack of communication. The process of decision-making becomes easier as only one parent is responsible to make the decisions. Another advantage of sole legal custody is that it creates a stable and consistent environment for the children. You will not have to track down the unavailable parent to make the decisions in this case.

Cons of sole legal custody

The parent who is not awarded sole legal custody can get discouraged and disheartened. This can also create conflicting situations. It can also get too overwhelming for the custodial parent to make all the major life decisions for the child on their own. The children may start to feel that the other parent is less important, and it can also stress them out as only one parent is responsible for making decisions for them.

If you are opting for sole legal custody, make sure you know all the advantages and disadvantages that come along with it. Know what will be beneficial for the betterment of your children. Your child’s interest will be to have an active relationship with both parents.