If two parents have joint custody, what is meant by "the non-custodial parent?"

Answer by  patti (29325)

If the kids live with one parent full-time, that parent is the custodial parent. The parent who gets visitation and maybe weekends is the non-custodial parent.

Answer by  Sockless (528)

In a joint custody situation, the phrase is normally used when the child, for school or other reasons, lives at one parent house more often, even if custody is shared.

Answer by  Michele13 (1188)

This probably means that both of the parents have equal rights to the child,but the child lives primarily with one parent.This would make sense because then the child wouldn't have to move back and forth and re-adjust to different living situations.However,different states may have different definitions as to what non-custodial means.

Answer by  tamarawilhite (17883)

The non-custodial parent is the one with the child less than 50% of the time. If both parents have 50-50 custody, the non-custodial parent is usually the father, with the mother being considered the custodial parent.