Child and family psychologists and psychological researchers agree that children of divorce benefit when they can spend as much quality time as possible with both of their parents. However, when two parents divorce, achieving this becomes a little more difficult since the parents won’t live in the same home. One solution involves the 50-50 child custody plan.
With a true 50-50 parenting plan, i.e., joint physical custody arrangements, both parents will share the responsibility of caring for and raising the child equally. The child will divide their time living with both parents — and essentially maintain two homes.
Although one might suspect that having two homes would be difficult for the child, psychologists have found that the benefits of spending more time with both parents trump any potential instability involved with shuffling between two residences. In fact, children adjust to these arrangements easily.
When does 50-50 custody work best for the parents and the children?
Joint physical custody doesn’t work well for every divorced co-parenting team, so it’s important to check if you meet the usual requirements. Here are the situations when 50-50 custody works best:
- The parents live close enough that child custody exchanges are easy.
- The parents get along well enough that they can reach agreements and navigate potential areas of dispute in terms of important parenting decisions.
- The parents both want to have a joint custody arrangement.
- The parents have work schedules that can be arranged in a way to make joint custody convenient.
- The child adapts well to living in two homes.
- Both parents are absolutely committed to putting the child’s needs and best interests first.
Do you want to learn more about 50-50 joint custody arrangements?
No two parents and no two children are the same. Every co-parenting situation has something that’s unique about it. Therefore, if you want to create a 50-50 child custody schedule, you need to think about:
- What makes you and your family unique
- What you need to affirm in your parenting agreement to feel safe
- What Alabama law requires
- Most importantly, what your child needs to ensure that your joint physical custody plan serves their best interests
