Hello there.

Thank you for your question. Sole custody is right for some situations, but it is rarely granted. Why do you believe that sole custody would be appropriate for your case?

Your options depend on the situation. Why do you believe that sole custody would be appropriate for your case?

I apologize... your question was "I would like to get sole custody of my child but my job take me out of town what options does i have. I live in Arkansas."

I don't know what the question is at this point.

I do apologize.

I see. How old is your child?

How often does your work take you out of town?

For how long do your trips out of town last?

Are they overnight trips?

Do you have a regular schedule? Or do you travel out of town on an as-needed basis? In other words, do you know that you will be out of town every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday (for example), or could it be Monday, Wednesday, Thursday one week and Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday the next?

Ok, I will start by saying that, because the nuances of every case are different, you should not rely on this information as advice or apply it to a specific situation without a more thorough consultation with counsel. But that said, please allow me to explain how child custody is determined in Arkansas:

Child custody is awarded based on the best interests of the child. What is best for the child depends not just on the parents' situation, but on the needs of the individual child. Every child is different, every situation is different, so every child custody order can be different. However, it is presumed that a child's best interests are served by having significant and frequent contact with both parents--in other words, unless there is an affirmative reason to not give both parents significant and frequent contact, the court's preference is to allow for it.

Typically, with a 5 month old child, the mother needs to be the primary custodian. This is for biological reasons, if nothing else, since babies do well with their mother's milk.

But a child's needs change as it gets older, so the custody orders will change as well. When children are very little, for example, they cannot tolerate significant gaps in time away from their primary caregiver. Older children do fine going weeks or months away from either parent.

Yes, and the breastfeeding was just an example. You said that you want a say in your child's life... there is a difference between physical custody and legal custody. Physical custody has to do with who the child is with. Legal custody has to do with who gets to make decisions for the child. Usually, a court will award Joint Legal Custody even if it awards sole physical custody.

As I mentioned, unless there is an affirmative reason to not give both parents significant and frequent contact, the court's preference is to allow for it.