Husband and wife separated in early 2008, and husband sued for divorce. There is one child, a girl, as issue of the marriage, born on October 31, 2007. The trial court awarded primary physical custody of the child to wife and secondary physical custody to husband. It awarded parenting time to husband for four hours each weekend until the child begins kindergarten full time, and thereafter, husband can have visitation every other weekend from 6:00 p.m. Friday until 6:00 p.m. Sunday, and holidays pursuant to a set schedule. Additionally, the court awarded husband summer visitation for a total of two weeks in one-week increments. When the child is seven years old, husband will have summer visitation for four weeks in two-week increments. As for child support, the court found that husband earns $1,680 per month as a security guard; that he pays child support of $275 for a child from a previous marriage; and that, based on his employment history,1 husband is capable of earning more than he currently earns. The court imputed income to husband in the amount of $2,500 per month for the first four months following the entry of the final decree and $3,000 per month thereafter. It ordered husband to pay child support in the amount of $605 per month for the first four months following the entry of the decree and $697 per month thereafter. Thereafter, husband sought, and this Court granted, discretionary review pursuant to the pilot project for family law cases. Wright v. Wright , 277 Ga. 133 587 SE2d 600 2003.
1. The trial court denied husband’s request for overnight visitation.2 Instead, the court awarded visitation which, at this time, consists of only one four-hour period a week. In so doing, the trial court explained that it believed young children should not spend long periods or weekends with non-custodial parents. The court elaborated: “Based on everything I have read and talked to about child development experts, until a child starts going to school full time . . . they are not developmentally and emotionally ready to be spending a lot of time away from their primary residence and the primary person to whom they have bonded, particularly a child of this age.”
