What's the Difference Between Custody & Parenting Time?

Misunderstandings about custody and parenting time definitions can cause added difficulty to divorce negotiations. When one parent has a different understanding of these terms than another, disagreements can escalate, prolonging the settlement process.

Will Courts Award Joint Custody?

The legal definition of custody is the right to make decisions for a child’s upbringing such as their education, medical care, and religion. Joint custody is rarely granted in Oregon. Unless both parents agree on having joint custody, typically only one parent gets custody of a child.

What About Seeing My Kids?

Even though there is usually one parent that gets custody, both parents tend to receive parenting time. Parenting time is the amount of time that each parent has with their child. There is no set rule about how much time a noncustodial parent gets with their children, but it commonly is between 25% and 40% of the time.

What About Child Support?

The amount of time your children spend with you is one of the factors that determine how much child support you are required to pay. In general, the more time you have with the kids, the less child support you have to pay.

Give Us a Call Today

We can listen to your concerns and help explain the process of determining custody and parenting time. Give the Portland office of Mastanduno Law Group a call email us to schedule an initial appointment with a family law attorney.