As many Illinois residents may be aware, child custody disputes can be stressful and emotionally exhausting. This is often because the parents or other parties involved may have strongly differing opinions over what is in the child's best interest. Moreover, the child custody dispute may also involve a parent who is desperately trying to remain in the child's life.

That may be the case with two parents who are no longer living together, and who have become well-known due to their roles on the reality television show, Teen Mom. In their case, the Department of Child Services had filed a case against both parents, but both of those cases were recently dismissed.

The two share a three-year-old daughter. The father was acting as the primary guardian, and was given full child custody of the toddler following the dismissal of the case against him. The mother, meanwhile, only has visitation rights. She is allowed to see her daughter every other weekend and on alternating holidays. According to the news report, there will also be an arrangement made for the summer months.

Here, the child custody agreement appears to weigh heavily in favor of the father, but that isn't always the case. Child custody cases can vary greatly, depending on the situation of each parent. Therefore, it is important for both parties to have a firm understanding of the various laws pertaining to child custody. In order to fight for a fair child custody agreement, it may also be helpful to assess one's legal options with the aid of an attorney.

Source: Celebrity Baby Scoop, "Gary Shirley Granted Custody Of Daughter Leah," Desiree Fawn, Dec. 15, 2011