Allegations can be made about the new person by your spouse regarding the influence on the children. Additionally, if emotions are still high, the addition of a new person into the picture may make an amicable settlement harder to reach. If you are living with a member of the opposite sex, this may have bearing on spousal support issues. Legal custody is the right and responsibility to make decisions in the child's life regarding the child's health, education, and welfare. Legal custody will usually be joint unless one parent is absent or incapable of participating in the child's life.
Physical custody governs where the child resides.
Joint physical custody shall be shared by the parents in such a way to assure a child of frequent and continuing contact with both parents. Child support is determined by a Statewide guideline. The guideline is an algebraic formula that considers the earnings of each parent, the percentage of time each parent spends with the children and other factors. Most lawyers and judges use a computer program to figure out what the guideline support is. Most courthouses have a program available for use.