The old adage is that a child receives the most support when in a two-parent situation. That adage seems to be true even when it comes to child custody arrangements. As difficult as child custody can be, some new research shows that sharing child custody is the best option for all parties involved.
The research was conducted by Wake Forest University. In the report, a professor of adolescent psychology said that children of all ages should be in situations that involve shared parenting unless the child needs to be protected from abuse or neglect.
The research looks at the belief that the children should be placed in the home of the mother to gain stability, allowing the father parent one weeknight and every other weekend. The team said that mothers obtain custody so often in these cases because courts fear that conflict from the divorce will affect the children.
The research team from Wake Forest said that conflict should not be a determining factor in deciding child custody cases. The reason for this is that it’s hard to define conflict as many parents will exaggerate issues or even make up problems that aren’t present in an effort to win custody of the children over their former spouse.
The bottom line from the study is that the relationship between the parents and the children matters more for the development of the children than the relationship between the parents.
Not sure how to broach the topic of child custody with your former spouse or the other parent of your child? Speaking with an experienced Nashua child custody attorney can guide you in the right direction.
Source: The Columbian, “New research supports sharing child custody,” Gail Rosenblum, Sep. 13, 2017
