CHILDREN

Many factors are involved in determining the parenting arrangement after divorce, including but not limited to, the parents’ abilities to cooperate and communicate, and the parents’ historic roles during the marriage, and feasibility of a parenting arrangement considering the work responsibilities of the parents, and proximity of their homes after the divorce.  Issues of abuse and unfitness; i.e., drug/alcohol issues and domestic violence also are, of course, considered.  Preference of the child, when over the age of 14, is a relevant factor.  Educational opportunities for the children and the children’s age are also relevant factors to be considered.

            In today’s world, mothers and fathers typically both actively participate in the day-to-day care of the children.  So after the divorce, the children should also have the benefit of spending quality time with both parents. 

            The Courts and psychologists support shared parenting arrangements.  An arrangement that is best for the child after depends on the age of the child.  The need for young children to bond may be different than the needs of older children that prefer longer blocks of time to avoid shifting back and forth.  Both mothers and fathers are necessary in a child’s life.  A typical shared parenting arrangement that is effective in many cases is Monday Tuesday (Parent 1), Wednesday Thursday (Parent 2), Friday Saturday, and Sunday alternated by parents so each parent has a block of five days.

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