A Manhattan judge has tailored a “parallel” custody arrangement where a young boy’s “gruff” father will oversee his schooling and health needs while the boy’s “warm” mother will make decisions about religion, summer and extracurricular activities.

Though both the father, A.D., and mother, M.R., sought primary custody of J., a 7-year-old boy who has learning disabilities, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Ellen Gesmer pointed out strengths and weaknesses of each party in fashioning an arrangement that allows each parent to make decisions on different aspects of the boy’s life.