*Collaborative Post
About 15.3 million children in the United States live primarily with a single mother. Roughly 3.3 million live primarily with a single father, and this number has been climbing for years.
The numbers above often trace back to divorce as a root cause. A 2025 Census Bureau working paper, which tracked more than five million children, found that close to one-third of American children will see their parents separate before they turn eighteen.
Child custody cases do not always involve two parents competing for custody or parenting time. In some families, a grandparent, relative, stepparent, or another caregiver may already play an important role in a child’s daily life. This situation can also raise questions about how to get custody of a sibling, especially when a parent is unable or unwilling to provide appropriate care.
Continue reading “When the Two-Parent Custody Playbook Doesn’t Apply: What Courts Weigh, and Who Else Can Step In”