There are different types of child custody that can be awarded to either parent. It is up to the court to award which type of custody best fits the parent. One type of custody is legal custody which mainly involves the making of decisions for the child, especially when the child cannot make his own decisions. This can be awarded to both parents, and this is sometimes referred to as the joint legal custody.
Another type of custody is the physical custody, and the parent gets to be with the child in one house, as what the name purports. Also, this type of agreement can be shared by both parents if they live near each other, or that the work of one parent does not affect the arrangement.