Can 50/50 Joint Custody Work for you?

Years ago, the typical child custody arrangement gave the mother physical custody and the father usually got the kids every other weekend and one night a week for dinner.

But recently there has been a growing number of fathers who have challenged this arrangement and desire joint custody of their kids. Many feel that just because they are divorcing their wives, it does not mean that they must also divorce their children too. They want to be full participants in their children's lives and not be forced to be part time dads.

Some women however have a problem with this and rather go with the traditional custody arrangements when negotiating their divorce. Both parents must consider what is in the best interest of the children and put their personal feelings aside. It would be advantageous for kids to be able to have access to both of their parents, if at all possible. If there is no indications of abuse or questionable behavior, then divorcing couples should consider a 50/50 joint custody arrangement.

Some pitfalls may be the location of the parents. If one parent lives far from the other, it may not be in the best interest of the child to have to spend time traveling between both homes each week. Also arrangements where the child spends alternating weeks with each parent may be confusing and disruptive to the child's routine.

The best scenario would be if both parents live within a short proximity of each other and the kids can spend time at each home during the week. Co-parenting requires creativity, so maybe dad will have the kids on Friday night through Sunday night and then for dinner twice that week and then switch with mom the following week.

Of course work schedules, after school activities and play dates may complicate things. But if two parents can work together in agreement and be flexible, their kids can benefit enormously from having both parents actively involved in their lives. Sadly, there are many fathers who do not want to spend time with their kids and even miss their scheduled visitations. If a father acts in good faith and wants to continue to be involved in the day to day activities of his child's life, then he should be applauded for doing so.