Is it better to get visitation or joint custody? As I have said before the mother of my son is irrational and immature. All she wants to do is keep my family from my son because she wants her new husband to be his only family(mind she has known this guy for maybe a year had to get married and has a three month old baby with him) My family and I want to see him, but she refuses, slams the door in our faces when she tells us its OK to get him... drive 60 miles and then refuses to even let us say hi to him. What is the difference in visitation vs. joint custody and can I get custody?

Joint physical custody is basically an even split of time... day on, day off, week on, week off, etc. Visitation means one parent has primary custody and the other takes the child for set times, like every other weekend and one night a week.

You can try to get custody, but its difficult to force a change of custody if there isn't compelling reason. Personally, I would push very hard for joint custody. You have equal rights to your child and having two children myself, I know I would fight to the death for every second with them.

Either way you go, it needs to be court ordered. That removes you from being subject to her whims, unless she wants to see what the local jail looks like.