How Does Equal Shared Parenting Work?

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Equal shared parenting, also called 50/50 custody, is a co-parenting arrangement in which parents have equal time with their child and make significant parenting decisions together. It is a joint physical and joint legal custody of children. This is becoming more common as gender norms around parenting evolve every day. Scroll down below to know how equally shared parenting works? And their pros and cons.

Execution of Equal Shared Parenting

The conventional arrangement of a child visiting their dad on weekends is no longer considered best for the child in most cases. It also does not reflect the realities of today’s families – plenty of fathers and mother want to parent equally, and many children have same-sex parents. For such cases, equal shared parenting emphasizes both parents, regardless of their gender. It says that both parents should have joint custody and equal parenting time.

Equal shared parenting works when both parents communicate well and cooperate without personal grudges in the child’s best interest. Experts do not recommend equal shared parenting in high-conflict situations or those involving domestic or physical abuse.

Parents who fight all the time may not be able to work in a shared parenting situation. This can also cause un-called stress on the child. In such cases, families must look at the child case custody options and consider the benefits and risks of each parenting plan.

Pros and Cons of Equal Shared Parenting

A question arises: Is equal shared parenting a reasonable way to standardize child custody cases? Some people believe that equal shared parenting is in a child’s best interest, while others think that it can be damaging. Below you can find some pros and cons from both sides of the spat.

Pros:

  1. It is beneficial for children when both parents are present in their lives.
  2. Eliminates some of the gender stigmas associated with parenting.
  3. Children with both parents involved in their lives have higher self-confidence and perform better at school.
  4. Encourages both parents to work together equally and as a team.
  5. Gives fathers power and more of a voice in situations.

Cons

  1. Parents who cannot effectively cooperate and coordinate parenting can make their children stressed.
  2. May eliminate or complicate child support.
  3. One parent can display unjustified negativity to damage the other parent’s relationship with the child, i.e. parental alienation.
  4. A toxic parental relationship that continues can be harmful to children.
  5. It can be tough for a child to settle down while they go back and forth between their parents’ homes.
  6. The legislation does not support the best interests of individual children – every situation is different.

Every situation is unique, and so is parenting. Any parenting plan that works successfully for one child may not work for another. It is essential to evaluate the pros and cons of any parenting plan before making a decision. Some courts prefer the parents to come up with an agreement rather than assigning a custody agreement.