You have to know the nature and your share of rights and obligations in terms of your child s upbringing. Doing so can be very challenging, so here are some tips to guide you through understanding the legal conditions that govern the custody of your child. Consult the Court of Jurisdiction To understand custody laws, you must consult first the court of jurisdiction. Physical custody is a good option since it allows you and your ex-spouse to spend a maximum amount of time with your child. However, this type of custody will work only if you and your ex-spouse live near each other. To prevent conflict from affecting your child, you and the other parent should have a cordial and workable relationship. Thus, it pays to understand the process of filing for temporary custody in your state. Why is temporary custody necessary in some cases? Because finalizing a divorce can take months or even years, it is essential to have rules in place regarding the upbringing of the child. Temporary custody, which indicates when each parent can take care of the child, prevents one of the parents from running off with the child or denying the other parent access to the child. Experts lawyers and psychologists agree that parents should be one hundred percent physically, emotionally and psychologically fit before filing a child custody case since this will require utmost attention and focus on the subject matter. Until issues concerning guilt and emotional stability are settled, parents are not advised to file for a child custody case. The following answers are mostly in general terms inasmuch as they apply and/or recognized by the courts all over the country. What is custody? Custody means who is responsible for the children in cases when their parents do not live together. This applies to couples who are separated, divorced, or never married. Effective Tips to Win Your Child Custody Battle Getting a divorce is a nerve-wracking experience for a couple, let alone resolving the child custody issues. In most cases, both parents want custody of their children and are willing to give up everything just to win their custody battle. What most divorced or separated couples do not realize, however, is that custody should focus on what serves the best interest of their children.