Joint custody is a legal arrangement where both parents share the legal and physical custody of their children. This means that both parents will have a say in their children’s education, healthcare, religion, and other important matters, in addition to sharing time with them. Having both parents actively involved in their children’s lives is typically the ideal arrangement; however, there are instances when this isn’t possible, or isn’t in the best interests of the children.
If you’re contemplating divorce or are already in the midst of it, and you have kids, here are some things you should know about the advantages & disadvantages of joint custody!
Advantages Of Joint Custody
There are many possible advantages in pursuing joint custody of your children. Some of these advantages include, but are not limited to the following:
Emotional Benefits For Children
Divorce is an emotionally charged event, not just for you and your partner, but your children as well. Even if it’s best for everyone involved, divorce, as well as custody matters, are a disruption to your children’s lives as they know it. Depending on their age, they may have difficulty grasping the concept of divorce and why it’s necessary for you and their other parent to go your separate ways. It can even drive a wedge in the individual relationships you and your co-parent have with your children. It’s also possible they may even blame themselves and wonder if there is something they could’ve done to keep this from happening.
When you work collaboratively with your co-parent to create a child custody arrangement in the best interest of your children, you can not only lessen the impact of divorce and custody matters on their lives, but you can help foster and maintain strong relationships with your children. In fact, recent literature reviews have found that spending time with both parents is beneficial to the parent-child relationship.
Shared Responsibilities
Being a parent is no easy task, even when a couple is married. When couples make the tough decision to divorce, the idea that one parent will suddenly assume all responsibilities can be extremely overwhelming. Luckily, in a joint custody situation, both parents will share the responsibilities of their children.
This can offer an advantage to both the parents and the children as it distributes the burden of parental responsibilities more evenly, which can make a difficult life transition less stressful. It can even allow for better, more enriched times with your children to know you aren’t doing it all on your own.
Legal Benefits
In addition to emotional benefits, there are legal benefits to joint custody as well, with two in particular at the forefront; ongoing communication between parents and cooperation in decision-making for the child.
Joint custody inherently promotes frequent and open communication between co-parents. Ongoing communication allows for schedules to be coordinated to ensure that your children’s needs are met, and important aspects of their lives are adequately addressed. If you and your co-parent are able to maintain effective communication, it will support your children’s emotional well-being and help you address the legal framework of your custody arrangement.
Joint custody also encourages cooperation when it comes to decision making. Because you’ve decided to share legal and physical custody, it’s important to work collaboratively with your co-parent when it comes to making decisions on your children’s behalf. For instance, if there should be a shift in their schooling or medical care, joint custody provides the opportunity to make such decisions together.
Disadvantages Of Joint Custody
On the flip side, there are some disadvantages of joint custody, including but not limited to:
Logistical Challenges
While it’s ideal for you, your co-parent, and your children to be on one cohesive schedule, that isn’t always feasible. You and your co-parent are going through the transition of divorce, and the process of custody, so how you grieve your relationship and move forward with your lives may make it hard to be on the same page when it comes to the logistics of joint custody. Conflicting plans and emotions can create conflict like miscommunications and disagreements in terms of your arrangement, making it challenging for you and your co-parent to abide by the guidelines you initially thought would suit your family’s needs.
Communication Issues
Because custody is such a sensitive matter, it can be difficult to effectively communicate with your co-parent, despite the shared responsibility of raising your children. When you’re having to co-parent, but no longer doing so as a married couple, the dynamics of communication can undergo significant changes. The emotional implications of your divorce can carry over into your parenting responsibility, making it hard to keep your feelings out of the equation when addressing matters related to your children.
Transitioning from marital partners to just co-parents requires a shift in how you communicate. Joint custody forces you to evaluate these aspects of divorce, possibly before you are ready to do so. It’s been found that children become fearful and insecure when their parents fight. It’s possible that your emotions will affect your ability to communicate, leading to disagreements that ultimately affect the well-being of your children.
Emotional Impact On Children And Parents
Finally, perhaps the biggest disadvantage of joint custody is the emotional impact on children and parents. While you and your co-parent decided to pursue joint custody in the best interests of your children, it can still take a substantial emotional toll on them.
Your children may battle feelings of confusion and anger over the constant back-and-forth between two households, or they may be frustrated by inconsistent routines and parenting habits with each parent, making an attempt to provide more stability for your children actually backfiring (in a sense) and resulting in some unforeseen challenges.
Your Children Are The Priority
While there are both advantages and disadvantages to consider when it comes to joint custody, what matters most in creating an arrangement is your children’s well-being. Don’t let what friends or family chose to do in a similar situation sway you from making the right choice for your family. Custody doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all formula. If you put your children’s needs at the forefront, you can’t go wrong.
How Word Family Law Group Can Help You
Custody is personal and the process can be daunting. Word Family Law Group’s family law attorney will take the time to get to know you and your family in order to understand your goals and create a strategy that helps you reach them. Don’t wait to get help from an experienced family law attorney who’ll protect your parental rights, and advocate for a result that’s in the best interest of your family. Call now to request a consultation. null
