The standard in Georgia is to determine custody based on the best interests of the minor child. Unless one parent has been a danger to the child, the beginning point is to typically establish who has been the primary caregiver for the minor child.
In most cases, the primary caregiver will receive primary physical custody.The primary caregiver is the parent who wakes the child up for school, helps him/her get ready, provides meals, does bath time, takes the child to doctor’s appointments, is at parent-teacher events, etc. In cases where these duties are equally shared, it is a little more difficult for the judge to determine. Other factors the judge may consider are work schedules, who has available time for the children, stability, ability to provide, and, at a certain age, the child’s own desires.