Typically the court will define the steps the parent must take to end the guardianship, within the guardianship order.

With a legal grant of custody, you would be on similar footing to a biological parent in future court proceedings. With guardianship, you are still regarded as a third party and, although some states give guardians some power to later seek custody, presumptions in favor of parental ties and against granting custody to third parties remain in effect.

Obtaining guardianship is often necessary for a non-parent to enroll a child in public schools or to enroll the minor in the non-parent's health insurance (if available), and can be necessary for approval of medical care. These can be very significant issues if the biological parent is in another state.