Choices to Consider When Deciding on Custody

What the decision of child custody boils down to is, is sole custody or joint custody in the best interest of the children. Sounds simple when stated that way but it is one of the most important decisions that you will make in your marriage. Sole custody is the traditional and most popular choice, however joint custody is becoming more and more popular. Joint custody can be done a number of different ways. It can be managed by schoolyear and summer, month to month, half week here/half week there or children staying with one parent all the time with shared parental responsibility and decision making. In my school counseling experience, the children who had a half week here/half week there custody arrangement seemed to struggle with disorganization. Leaving there homework, books or things that they needed at their other house. When doing my research for the topic of child custody, I came across an interesting alternative for joint custody that I feel may work best for the children. Instead of having the children move from house to house, they stay in one place and the parents move. This may present the parents with some logistical problems to work out like where are they going to stay when they are not with their children. One option is to get one apartment for both of you to share which may be a little creepy. I think that I would be concerned that my ex was looking through my stuff. Another solution may be to stay with friends or family on your child free times. Although I found no research done on this option, I think it provides an interesting alternative to the better known joint custody options. If you are concerned about what this uprooting might due to you, consider what uprooting your child does to them.

Research suggests that there is no difference in the emotional well-being of the children with any of these choices. The only factor that research suggests affects your child's emotional well-being is the way their parents get along both during the divorce process and after the divorce. So the most important thing that you can do for your children when making this decision is to it amicably.