When negotiating with your soon-to-be former spouse about your post-divorce child custody arrangements, the two of you have considerable leeway. Assuming your marriage does not include a history of child neglect or abuse, you can come to virtually any agreement you wish with regard to both custody and parenting time.
Joint custody has become the arrangement of choice in most states. Why? Because under most circumstances, it provides your children with the optimal opportunity to thrive.
Specific childhood benefits
StatNews reports that the results of a recent study showed that your children likely will benefit from joint custody in the following ways:
- They have a better chance of maintaining healthy child-parent relationships with both parents.
- They have a better chance of maintaining close and loving relationships with their grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. on both sides of their family.
- They have a better chance of escaping the depression that so many children from divorced families suffer.
- They have a better chance of maintaining their current grades in school.
- They have a better chance of maintaining their current positive peer relationships and developing new ones.
- They have a better chance of resisting the pressure to indulge in alcohol and/or drug usage.
Parental benefits
Joint custody likewise gives you and your former spouse a better chance of developing an amicable and cooperative post-divorce relationship. Both of you will be more likely to abide by whatever parenting time agreements you have made. In addition, both of you will be more likely to cooperatively handle the surprises and emergencies inherent in child-rearing. Ultimately, you will have the immense satisfaction of watching your children become happy and well-adjusted adults after spending their childhoods surrounded by the love and guidance of both parents.
