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In Kentucky, the custodial determination pertains to parental decision making for the children. In other words, custodial rights determine a parent's ability to make decisions, jointly or solely regarding the children's upbringing. This is distinguished from parenting time(visitation) - the amount of time each parent spends with the children.
A parent who is awarded sole custody gets to make all of the major decisions regarding the children's upbringing. Sole custody creates a tremendous imbalance in the influence of the parents. Because of this imbalance, there is a trend in Kentucky Courts away from sole custody, except in cases where one parent is not willing or able to successfully coparent the children.
A parent who has sole custody generally gets to determine where a child lives and may relocate without first obtaining the permission of the court or other parent. A sole custodian has full control over the children's education, medical care and religious upbringing.