The Case For Joint Custody

Recently I wrote a blog titled: The Case Against Joint Custody. I feel very strongly that joint physical custody, a legal term used to describe any number of configurations where both parents share in the physical parenting time of the children after divorce, is not a cure-all to the problems and traumas of divorce and absent fatherhood. However, there is no denying that the number of joint custody cases is on the rise. And with that comes not only situational benefits but social benefits as well Joint physical custody can be an extremely beneficial way to allow children time with … Continue reading

What Is Joint Custody?

When parents are first embarking upon separation or divorce, they often hear the term “joint custody”. In fact, joint custody of one form or another is the norm, these days. What exactly is joint custody? Two Types of Joint Custody There are two types of joint custody: Physical and Legal. Joint Legal custody is where both parents have the joint right to share in important decisions regarding the child in the areas of education, religious upbringing and medical care. It has been the norm for the last decade or two. This was step one of the Father’s Rights crusade to … Continue reading

The Case Against Joint Physical Custody

We’ve come a long way since we were children and mothers were routinely given full custody of the children and fathers frequently disappeared and less frequently received a standard visitation schedule of every other weekend visits. In fact, we’ve come so far that now many courts don’t call it “visitation” but more aptly, “Parenting time”. We have seen the damage done to children raised without male role models. We have learned our lessons. Now we believe that any child deserves to share as much time as possible with both parents, if they are willing. Most courts will now consider a … Continue reading

Program to Help Children Through Divorce

Everyone knows that divorce is tough on kids. In a blog I wrote in February I discussed the effects of divorce and single parenting on kids. Dr. Amato of Pennsylvania State University found children of divorced parents “continued to have lower average levels of cognitive, social, and emotional well-being,” compared to their peers who lived in a stable home with married parents. One would think, since divorce is common in the United States with about 50% of marriages ending in divorce, that children would have adjusted. Nicki Bradley, a parenting blogger, talks about some of the issues facing divorced families … Continue reading