Family Law

Standard Visitation in Mississippi divorces

By Robert M. Kisselburgh, Esq.

What is standard visitation?

Although shared physical custody is occurring more now than in the past, the typical child custody situation following divorce in Mississippi is an order of joint legal custody (decision-making authority) and primary physical custody to one parent with reasonable visitation to the other.

But what is ?reasonable?? Most courts in Mississippi do not have written guidelines for visitation schedules. Reasonable visitation varies from case to case and the chancellor has a lot of discretion as to what is reasonable. The paramount test is ?what is in the best interest of the child? and that can change depending on the age of the child. Some chancellors feel longer visits for younger children are not in the best interest of the child. Additionally, if you work the third shift Tuesday through Saturday or if you work four ten hour shifts at the hospital on varying days, an ?every other weekend? approach may not work for you and your children.

Full post as published by Mississippi Family Law Blog on September 14, 2008 (boomark / email).