My wife and I are talking custody; no separation has been drawn up yet. However, we live in Charlotte, NC and she wants to move back to SC with our child. I know I can make her stay in NC, because our child has been raised here for almost 3 years. My question is should I ask for 50/50 custody and will I get it? Or should I just give in and let her move to SC and see my son every other weekend? She wants me to do what’s best for her, but I could care less about her and just want to be with my son as much as possible. I work full time and she doesn’t work at, jsut a stay at home mom, so she will have not job when we separate, if that’s any concern. Any straight answer or guidance is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
** Not a Lawyer**
If you want to see your son as much as possible, ask for 50/50. Once custody is set, it is very hard to change. If you have a legal custody agreement in place giving you 50/50 time, then, if all is going well between you and your ex, there is room to possibly vary that slightly. If things turn bad though (as happens quite often), the custody agreement is what will be enforced, so ask for what you want now.
(just a few points of hard earned experience too… cover who picks up and who drops off… my 400 mile round trip gets pretty expensive with gas prices. Also, cover who claims the child as a dependent on taxes… my lawyer never mentioned it was possible to alternate years for that… ok, enough off topic advice… good luck).
Recently, we very often see 50/50 custody in cases, but based on the small amount of information provided, I cannot give you an opinion of whether that is warranted in your case. It really sounds like you should have a consultation with an attorney to discuss the full facts of your case so you can make an informed decision.