What Exactly Are Parental Responsibilities in an Illinois Divorce?

 Posted on February 11, 2022 in Family Law

A common reason couples in Illinois cite for their divorce is substantial differences of opinion when it comes to raising the children. While these differences can make being married challenging, they do not necessarily get better during or after a divorce. Parents may no longer share a household, but they still have to negotiate a parenting agreement and communicate with each other about the children, often for many years into the future. 

Parents who create a parenting agreement must handle several different aspects of sharing custody. The most important of these, parenting time and parental responsibilities, are important to understand because they influence nearly every aspect of a joint parenting plan. Parenting time is fairly straightforward: it is the time each parent spends with the child, caring for them and providing their daily needs. Parental responsibilities, however, can be a little more complicated. 

What Are Parental Responsibilities in Illinois? 

Put simply, a parent with parental responsibilities has the authority to make significant decisions on behalf of their child. Illinois courts tend to divide these decisions into the following four categories:

• Religious observance, including whether a child will attend weekly services, how strictly observant a child is expected to be, or whether religious belief will impact other issues like content consumption or social activities 

• Healthcare, including where a child will receive medical care, which specialists a child should attend, and how often

• Education, including short-term issues like tutoring and homework assignments, as well as long-term issues like school choice and college preparatory work

• Extracurricular activities, such as after-school groups, scouting programs, sports teams, and music education. 

Parents who get along well can often divide decision-making powers equally, especially if they agree that a child should be raised in a certain religion or attend a certain private school. Yet this is less common, and parents who have major differences of opinion about these issues may need to compromise one area for another. Perhaps a religious parent will make decisions about religious observance while a secular parent will manage a child’s extracurricular activities. Ideally, parents will agree on an arrangement rather than having a court create one for them. 

Call a Hinsdale Parental Responsibilities Lawyer

Understanding parental responsibility is essential for negotiating a parenting agreement that works for you and your family. To learn more about this important area of family law and how you can use it to your advantage, schedule a free consultation with an experienced Hinsdale, IL parental responsibilities attorney with Law Office of Martoccio & Martoccio. Call our offices today at 630-920-8855. 

Source: 

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs4.asp?DocName=075000050HPt%2E+VI&ActID=2086&ChapterID=59&SeqStart=8675000&SeqEnd=12200000