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Child custody and shared parenting

What is child custody and shared parenting?

Child custody - shared parenting is sometimes called joint custody. It is when both parents share custody over their children after a divorce. Child custody - shared parenting came about in the 1970's in Indiana. It has since then spread to all 50 states.

Child custody - shared parenting allows the child to be raised by both parents at different times during the month. Unlike, traditional custody rulings where one parent had full custody and the other parent had visitation rights, usually on the weekends, shared parenting or joint custody, awards both parents equal custody over the child.

This enables both parents an equal share of the parenting duties, responsibilities and joys. It also has proven very beneficial for the custodial children. Children of joint custodial families are less likely to experience behavior problems, experiment with drugs, and generally perform better in schools. These statistics are thought to be the end result of the fact that both parents are involved in the parenting process.

Child custody and shared parenting now accounts for about twenty percent of the post-divorce living arrangements of divorced parents and their children. Recent research proves that children in shared parenting situations adjust better to the divorce than children in sole custody situations.

There is, however, one major factor that can undermine the benefits of a joint custody situation. Because joint custody requires a certain amount of interaction and cooperation between the divorced parents, this can lead to frequent bickering, arguments, and/or fights. If this situation arises, the benefits of the shared parenting become nullified.

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