Question:  I'm worried about my husband getting visitation of our son. I think he should see the boy, and I want them to have a loving relationship, but I'm scared because of his drinking and his drugs he won't keep an eye on him, and then our kid could get into trouble. My husband and I will be going through a divorce and my husband drinks a lot, probably three times a day when he eats meals, and then before he goes to sleep. And sometimes he'll smoke marijuana too.

He was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and when he's taking his meds he's fine, but when he doesn't take them he starts acting crazy, makes bad decisions, and our son is only 10 years old and I get scared.

We're getting divorced because of his drinking and pot smoking. I just don't want our child around it and seeing what his father is doing. He'll smoke weed in the house and sometimes he'll have a flask in the car and drink when he drives. I told him if he doesn't stop, I would have to get a divorce.

He said he didn't want to stop and that's it's legal to drink and almost legal to smoke weed in Georgia. But he does it all the time and when combined with his mental issues, I get worried about my child. Sometimes our son will ask, “Why is daddy smoking those funny-smelling things?”

Don't get me wrong, my husband functions at a high level. He's a doctor and a surgeon and he works hard. And I know he'll get some visitation, but I wanted to write to see how courts usually handle visitation for young children and how will they handle overnights, because he loves to drink his whiskey and smoke his pot at night.

A.K. in Alpharetta, GA

Answer:  Parenting plans vary between situations. Just as no situation is exactly like another, there is no “one size fits all” visitation schedule. Many factors are considered for visitation. Some of these factors are:

• Child's age
• Parental mental health
• History of child abuse, domestic abuse, alcohol and drug abuse
• Whether or not the child has siblings who will accompany her or him on visits
• Prior parental involvement with the child
• Co-parenting relationship between the two parents

When you need questions answered by an Atlanta visitation lawyer, call us at 678-215-4106.