The purpose of child custody law is making a decision about parenting rights in the best interest of the child. Parents may, of course, have differing opinions about what arrangement is in their child’s best interest, such as who the child primarily lives with or which parent is going to be making the major decisions.
For example, if parents live in different jurisdictions and have access to different schools, they must decide which school their child will attend. If the parents are unable to make those decisions together, a judge in the appropriate jurisdiction will make the decision in the child’s best interests.