We all get into marriages hoping for the best. We expect to have the “happily ever after” life. We hope to get a romantic life, beautiful and intelligent kids, and overall a pleasant experience. This rosy and fantastic dream might not be alive several years down the aisle. Sadly, ending the marriage develops problems for your precious treasures — kids.
Conflicts, disagreements, litigation, and at times physical wars don the plot of a divorce. In such an environment, people rely on professionals such as Hunter Law P.A. to handle the problems.
Even when professionals are involved, the problem is only amicable at best, never a good experience for the kids. According to recent studies, a joint/split/shared custody can reduce the many negative impacts of divorce on kids. In this article, we will dwell on five benefits of this arrangement.
Improves Appreciation of the Kids
The fact that you have agreed, or begrudgingly conceded, to have joint custody means you are responsible grown-ups. It also implies that you wish the best for your kids. After finalizing a divorce, you will probably be seeing your child after some time. This absence develops improved interest in what is going on in the child’s life.
Parents get to have a third-party-like review of his or her parenting skills. The couple can also appreciate more the roles children play in their lives. Children change over time, if you don’t spend all the time with them, you can notice the changes as they occur in the child’s life — it may be an interest or even an emotional change.
Cost Sharing Improves the Quality Of Life of the Kids
You co-share costs and time spent on children. Unlike when the couple has to rely on one parent for a particular need or want, split custody ensures that you can share more than time.
When kids need small items or services, you can chip in without having to consult. The overall outcome of such co-sharing is improved lives for the children. They get to enjoy the mother and the father figure in their lives. Shared responsibility means an improved sense of responsibility for the kids as they grow up.
Reduced Levels of Conflict and Consequent Trauma in Kids
As most therapists would suggest, you owe it to your young ones not to drag them into the middle of your divorce. However, kids often find themselves in an awkward situation, especially teenagers. With joint custody, kids get to learn from both parents. They learn to listen to both sides — especially if both parents are supportive of each other — and make an evaluation for themselves.
There is a tendency to speak ill of each other after divorce. It is counter-productive to do so in joint custody, as kids will learn it themselves. You — as a couple — have to agree or have conversations often about how best to handle new issues.
Two Parents and Two Homes
They say, “The more, the merrier.” Parents have to dig deep to handle bills for two homes now. There will be less disposable income as a result, but kids will have other benefits that come with two houses. They can make more friends; have more variety, and more of virtually everything. It can also reduce the probability of boredom.
Intact families face challenges, sometimes worse than those faced by separated couples. It is a no-brainer that the same set of problems is present in divorced families. How the family manages two homes depends on their level of communication and commitment to it.
Hunter Law P.A. argues that, more often than not, mothers get custody of the matrimonial home. The home is usually better than any makeshift house that the father of the children can make out there. Because of such things, some couples agree to share items from one home to the other to make the life of children comfortable at both houses.
Quality Time with Kids
Parents have their free time. They can date, pursue education, or make career decisions that will help them lead a fulfilling life. If they do so, they will be happier parents who can be better role models. When single-parent custody is enforced, parenting duties can overwhelm one person. With the need for them to pursue a livelihood, the outcome is a frustrated parent who hardly inspires his or her kids.
Conclusion
Split custody, though it may be chaotic to set-up, offers the best opportunity for your children. They get to spend quality time with both parents. There are co-shared duties and responsibilities. Conflicts reduce considerably. Because parents communicate frequently, they give children a semblance of the previous experience of a family unit. Ensure that you have trained professional such as Hunter Law P.A. for child-custody guidance.