Divorce Joint Custody

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Joint custody in divorce means both the partners have equal responsibility towards the child. The court order issued in this perspective clearly states that the parents have to manage the upbringing of the kid together. There are two aspects of this issue; Joint physical custody and joint legal parenting. In the former type, the offspring spend an equal amount of time with both partners, but the decisions related to the child upbringing may be taken by a sole parent. In the latter, the decision-making related to all issues of development is to be carried out by the spouses together. This kind of legal order is gaining popularity due to following reasons:

• An increasing number of men and women have now realized the importance of the presence of fathers in the lives of the kids. Many fathers are not happy with the role of a mere visitor in the life of children. So, they take initiative in having legal rights for their development.
• There is an increasing demand for mothers to work full time. Such a full time job is difficult to manage along with sole responsibility of kids.

Ideas to make Divorce Joint Custody successful

This type of guardianship is not an easy task to handle. If the partners are not on mutually good terms, they may find it difficult to agree on matters related to kids. There are some tips to make this successful:

• In the presence of the children, one parent must respect the other and avoid being critical of the other parent. Every parent must help the kids to love the other parent irrespective of the relation between them (i.e. the parents). It should be borne in mind that they can and should have affection towards both parents.
• Each parent must give first priority to the child. The parents must attend the piano recitals, concerts, school play, games etc. There must be conversation between the little ones and the parents regarding the incidences in their regular life and social circle. The parent must find out the child's interests and problem areas.
• Both parents must ensure that communication between the kids and the spouse is always open. Let us assume that the ex spouses cannot stand one another. However, they must remember that for the sake of the child, it is unavoidable for them to talk. Due to proper communication and coordination between the parents, kids feel secure.
• The father and the mother should realize and accept the realities of parenting. They should have a flexible attitude and must be willing to compromise. The ex spouses must realize that their convenience and schedule is not important than the requirements of their family.
• There is no harm in making new friends with the opposite sex or dating and having a good time. However, it is not advisable to enforce this relationship on a child, while fulfilling the parenting responsibilities. If the attention of a parent towards their previous family gets diverted or divided, this is a bad turn in the life of the kids.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Divorce Joint Custody

Advantages

• In sole custody arrangements, monitory support is paid 46 percent of the time. In mutual responsibility, this rises to 75 percent. Thus kids are benefited materially. They enjoy the same standard living as before.
• When a parent moves out of the house, the kids frequently feel a traumatic sense of rejection and loss. Joint custody lessens these feelings, as both parents are in continuous contact with him or her.
• The child enjoys a normal time with both parents as before the divorce.
• When there is cooperation between the parents and absence of legal dispute, the whole family is benefited.
• The child can retain a robust relationship with both the father and the mother. The harmful effects of separation on kids can be avoided to a greater extent.

Disadvantages

• If the marital issues between the parents are unresolved, the family conflict worsens in such a situation.
• It has been observed that sometimes fathers are not prepared for the actual responsibilities of collective guardianship. They tend to avoid the duties later. This may badly affect the child's mentality.
• If there is no proper co-ordination between the parents the impacts the psychological growth of the child. If parents keep fighting over small issues, little one feels alone and insecure.
• As the kid is not settled at one place, his/her life becomes identical to a traveling salesman. Constant changes in lifestyle may lead to instability in emotional and routine chores.

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