Questions About Child Custody

By Staff Writer

Some of the most frequently asked questions about child custody revolve around which type of custody is better for the child; joint custody or primary custody. The truth is, there are pitfalls to all arrangements of child custody and visitation. It's important to take into account your children's preferences; if they are old enough, they will tell you where they want to live and how much time they want to spend with each of you. The trick is to listen to them--and keep listening, because as they grow older, their feelings may change about the custody arrangement that is in place.

Shared custody is now the preferred option in many states. However there are some drawbacks to joint child custody. For example, shared custody is expensive. You'll have to maintain two homes, with rooms where your children can sleep. They'll have to have more clothes and belongings, with items that stay in each home, unless you want them to schlep all their stuff in suitcases twice a week.

You and your spouse must have an iron-clad agreement to be civil to each other. With so much travel time between the two households, there will be many logistical details and necessities that will pop up every week. You and your former spouse must be able to converse amicably about rides home from school, or pizza outings with the class, without falling into predictable arguments.

Questions About Child Custody--Primary Custody
The drawbacks of primary custody are different but just as much a cause for concern. The non-custodial parent will inevitably feel sidelined, and there may be chance that he or she will slowly drift away from the children and establish a new marriage and family. This can have emotional repercussions on the children. For the custodial parent, the demands of being a single parent may be so huge that they may feel overwhelmed. The children may spend more time in day care or after school programs to facilitate the time pressure on the single parent. All these questions about child custody can be answered in recommended websites, where a divorcing parent can get divorce help, advice, and child custody experiences of other parents.