both parents are obligatedto consult with one another on all major life decisions affecting the children, including health care decisions, education, activities, and other important areas of a child’s life. No parent has ultimate authority, unless it is specifically included in an Agreement or Final Judgment. If parents can’t agree, mediation or going to Court are the usual options. Only in the rare instances where a parent is declared to be unfit is one parent given Sole Parental Responsibility, commonly known as Sole Custody. 

Years ago, it was common that one parent had the children most of the time, and the other parent had a “visitation schedule”, which usually allotted the secondary parent (usually the Father) every other weekend and one evening per week. Over time, that model has evolved. Palm Beach County still uses a model schedule that is exactly every other weekend and one overnight per week. But a concept called “Rotating Custody” has gained in popularity over the past few years. Once disfavored by the Courts, rotating custody,  

Although there are some common methods of dividing the time-sharing of the children, each case is unique. Depending on your particular circumstances, the time-sharing schedule will include a standard weekly or bi-weekly schedule, a holiday-sharing schedule, and a vacation/summer/winter break schedule. which means that you will be required to consult with one another on the major decisions affecting your children, including where they go to school, health matters, extra-curricular activities, and other similar important matters. Day to day decisions are made by the parent with whom the child is with at the moment.