What different child custody orders are made by the court?
Residency:
“Residency” is the designation used to identify the parent with whom the child usually lives. This parent has no more or less right to decide matters regarding the child than does the other parent – this designation is simply a recognition of a fact that the child spends more time living with one parent than the other.
Parenting Time:
“Parenting time” is the time that a parent is designated to spend with his or her child. This is what has, in the past, been commonly known as “parental visitation.” The terms have changed, however, to recognize that parents do not “visit” their children, but that both parents are an integral part of their child’s life and that whatever time is spent with the child by a parent, whether as a primary residential parent or non-residential parent.
Visitation:
“Visitation” is the designation used for time spent by a child with a third party (i.e. a non-parent, such as a grandparent, aunt, uncle, stepparent, sibling or other third party). A third party does not have the right to visit the child unless the parents agree to that visitation or the court orders that visitation on appropriate motion and order.