3 Major Advantages Of Joint Child Custody
The law recognizes different forms of custody. Each option has pros and cons, but joint custody has some significant benefits. Below are three of these benefits.
1. Less Burdensome
Parenting may be a blessing and a joy, but it does involve some chores and responsibilities. For example, you have to:
- Prepare the child for school and help with their homework and school projects
- Take the child for medical examinations and take care of them during illness
- Feed and clothe the child
- Discipline and advise the child
These responsibilities can be overwhelming if you have to do them alone. Say you work full-time and have to take care of a child; you might have no time for personal development.
Joint custody helps you to share the childcare responsibilities with the other parent. For example, you can help the child with their homework during the weekdays while the other parent helps them with school projects over the weekends. That way, the parenting responsibilities do not overwhelm you.
2. Benefits the Child
Child custody benefits both parents and children. For example, children sometimes feel guilty when their parents separate and don't get along. A child can even resent you if they spend more time with you than with the other parent. Such feelings are not good for the child's psychological well-being and development. Joint child custody can help the child avoid such feelings.
In addition, joint child custody helps the child enjoy the benefits of parental advice and discipline from both parents. Even the time spent together with both parents benefits the child. The parents also get to discuss options when making decisions for the child, such as school options, which ultimately benefit the child.
3. Legally Attractive
When determining child custody, courts base their decisions on the child's best interest. Courts believe that joint custody serves a child's interest better than sole custody. The preference makes sense if you consider the above benefits children derive from joint custody.
Thus, you are more likely to succeed with a quest for joint child custody than that for sole custody. That also means that the resources, such as legal fees and time spent in court, you need to fight for joint custody are less than those you need to fight for sole custody.
Note that there are cases where joint custody is not advisable. For example, joint custody with an abusive parent is not a good idea. Discuss your circumstances with a family attorney, who will advise and help you pursue the best custody form for your child.
Reach out to a local divorce attorney to learn more.
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