For years there has been debate about what is best for children when their parents are getting a divorce. Should they live with mom, dad or spend fairly equal time with both parents. Those in Missouri who are interested in shared child custody arrangements are in luck, as this is something that the state feels is a good thing under the right circumstances.
Shared custody, for years, is something for which interested parents had to fight. Courts have long favored sole custody arrangements as it is believed that parental conflict is reduced when children are not being shuffled back and forth. According to a recent study, even though there has been a push for joint custody, courts still tend to award sole custody in 80 percent of custody cases.
It was only fairly recently that Missouri took a stand and started advocating for shared custody. Why? It is believed that such arrangements help children fare better in school and at home. There is simply something about having relationships with both parents that help them emotionally.
Now, that is not to say that shared child custody is appropriate in every situation — it’s not. There are reasons that sole custody is the only real option. At the end of the day, individual family situations must be looked at before any sort of custody plan can be ordered and put into action. With the assistance of legal counsel, divorcing parents in Missouri can do what is necessary to fight for the custody arrangements that best suit their families.
Source: columbian.com, “New research supports sharing child custody“, Gail Rosenblum, Sept. 13, 2017
