The court makes the final decision, thus assuming full responsibility in order to permanently safeguard the child against acute or chronic feelings of guilt. In most states the court will consider the child's wishes according to his or her age. In a situation involving more than one child, experts feel that it is usually best to keep all siblings together with respect to the custody arrangements.
Divorce splits the bond of husband and wife, and custody splits the bond of parenting.
A custody dispute is more likely to be more difficult than the divorce itself, because the bond of parenting is typically stronger than that of marriage. Most importantly, each and every family is unique, with very distinctive needs and desires that must be kept at the forefront of any and all considerations. When one parent is awarded custody of the child, the other parent is granted the right of visitation. The guidelines for visitation should be agreed upon promptly to prevent any future misunderstandings. It is the responsibility of the parents to arrange for a reasonable schedule of visitation.