Why Have Families Changed?
Why are countries all around the world changing their approach to family? Why is joint custody becoming so popular? Actually, custody is such an inflammatory term - mediators rarely use it - so we won't either. Shared parenting time can take many forms, from summers at father's and the school year with mother, to switching homes every other day. Children have two primary residences, even if time in each is not equal. Guardianship, outside the scope of this article, refers to the shared responsibility, regardless of where the children are living, for making major decisions about a child's welfare including education, health care, and religious upbringing. Up until recently divorcing couples frequently shared guardianship without sharing parenting time. So why all the Dad time?
Roz Zinner, an American divorce mediator says, one positive reason is that women and men are realizing more the importance of fathers to children, and more men want to have a primary role in their lives. Many fathers are no longer content to be the biweekly visitor while Mom retains sole custody. As traditional marital roles shift, our concepts of the best way to parent children after divorce change also.
Another reason for the increase in popularity relates to the increase in mothers who must work full-time. Solo parenting becomes quite difficult for a mother with a demanding full-time job, especially one with overtime or a commute. Many couples, whose pre-separation lives were already stretched thin, find they must cooperate and juggle time to manage the childcare needs of their children.
In some cases, the choice of shared care is a means for avoiding a prolonged, bitter custody battle unlikely to yield any real winners. Because of the very nature of the adversarial process, conflict is often exacerbated and communication breaks down. Judges attempt to rule in favor of what is in the best interests of the child, and when there are two competent parents, this is an obvious solution.
Living in both households allows children to maintain a strong relationship with both parents. Research shows that half of all children in shared care arrangements see both parents weekly, but only about 1 in 10 children of other types of parenting agreements see their non-custodial parent that often.
All around the world families have changed for some practical reasons, but best of all, parents have changed for the sake of their children.
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