Parental custody and parental rights are the same thing.

Parental custody and parental rights are the same thing.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not Sure
• D. Sometimes

Answer: (B)

Custody versus parental rights describe different things about a child’s care and authority. Custody refers to where the child lives and who provides day-to-day care. Parental rights refer to the legal authority and responsibilities to make major decisions for the child, such as education, medical care, religion, and welfare. They can be separated in practice. A parent might have physical custody and the child primarily lives with them, while both parents share legal custody and decision-making, or one parent may have sole legal custody. In other cases, a guardian or the state may have custody while a parent’s rights are restricted or terminated. So, custody and parental rights are not the same thing.

Custody versus parental rights describe different things about a child’s care and authority. Custody refers to where the child lives and who provides day-to-day care. Parental rights refer to the legal authority and responsibilities to make major decisions for the child, such as education, medical care, religion, and welfare.

They can be separated in practice. A parent might have physical custody and the child primarily lives with them, while both parents share legal custody and decision-making, or one parent may have sole legal custody. In other cases, a guardian or the state may have custody while a parent’s rights are restricted or terminated. So, custody and parental rights are not the same thing.