Do you want joint custody? Make sure to look at the pros and cons of joint custody, as that will help you make the right decision as per your circumstances. This article will help you in every possible way, so let’s get started!
As relationships have a significant impact on your well-being, since you realize that your relationship is not working for you anymore, you decided to get a divorce. Divorce simply means the division of everything, but how do you divide child custody? This is why some parents may want joint custody of the child.
In some situations, it’s a great decision to have joint custody, while in others, it’s not an appropriate decision. Simply go through the pros and cons of joint custody to know if it’s the right decision for your circumstances or not.
Understanding child custody
Child custody simply means having physical and legal rights over a child, i.e., the right to take care of, live with, grow with, and make decisions for the child. They are of two types: physical custody and legal custody. Physical custody simply means with which parent the child lives, and having legal custody means which parent can take legal decisions on behalf of their child.
Each of these types of child custody is further broken down into two arrangements, i.e., joint custody and sole custody. The court considers various factors and can even do a child custody evaluation to decide the child’s custody by just considering the child’s best interest.
Joint custody
Joint custody means both parents share the child’s custody after divorce. In joint custody arrangements, both parents share the responsibility of raising their child after divorce, even though they’re not living together. They both have the right to spend equal time with their child (called joint physical custody) and an equal right to make decisions for their child (called joint legal custody).
In most of the cases, even the court prefers joint custody, as in some states, it is by default. But in some cases, it’s not a good idea to share custody. So simply go through the pros and cons of joint custody and then make a decision as per your circumstances.
Pros and cons of joint custody
Everything has some good and bad sides, as does joint custody. Following is a list of the pros and cons of joint custody:
Pros of joint custody:
Good for child’s upbringing
As the child is spending equal time with both parents, which amazingly benefits their upbringing. They get the guidance, appreciation, and love of both parents, providing a more loving and caring environment for the child. This significantly impacts a child’s emotional and mental health because he or she no longer needs to stay with just one parent. This is why joint custody proves good for a child’s upbringing.
Easier to raise a child with shared responsibilities
It’s actually difficult to have full responsibility for the child, i.e., to take care of and make important decisions for the child. But having joint custody helps you to a great extent, i.e., sharing responsibilities can actually lessen the stress of raising the child. In joint custody, as both parents are equally involved, it gets easier to raise the child.
Less impact of divorce on children
Divorce is not just hard on you and your ex-spouse; it also greatly impacts a child’s emotional and mental health. But having joint custody lessens this impact greatly by providing a more happy and stable environment for the child. However, it’s also suggested to make your divorce as peaceful as possible to lessen the impact of divorce on children.
Cons of joint custody:
Challenging to plan and schedule
In joint custody, sharing responsibilities, including pick-up and drop-off schedules, requires proper coordination between the parents. When parents coordinate less with each other, it gets challenging to plan and schedule trips. After divorce, usually ex-spouses don’t want to stay in touch with each other. So in such cases, joint custody is not the right decision.
May cause more conflicts
If you still have grudges and resentment against your ex-spouse, that increases the chances of having more conflicts. Then it gets difficult to create a parenting plan and to make and agree on decisions regarding the child. And having more arguments can impact your child as well.
Less stability for the child
Packing and unpacking is actually challenging for your child while moving from one parent’s place to another and so on. This can actually create stress and less stability, making it difficult to manage for longer.
Final Words (Pros and Cons of Joint Custody):
Joint custody means both parents have shared the physical and legal custody of the child by spending equal time with the child and making decisions for the child. Joint custody benefits your child in many ways because both parents are equally involved in the child’s upbringing. Even sharing responsibilities in joint custody can lessen the stress of raising a child with one parent. So most divorced parents prefer joint custody.
But when both parents are not living nearby and are not willing to coordinate, having joint custody is not a good idea. So you should look at the pros and cons of joint custody to know if it’s right for you or not. I hope this article (pros and cons of joint custody) helps you serve that purpose.
