The fact remains that having good relationships with dads is equally as important to children as their relationships with their moms. Both parents play unique and different roles to their children, which is why co-parenting even after divorce can create a positive situation for everyone.
However, for a multitude of reasons, dads don’t seem to always get equal time with their kids. Sometimes one parent relocates a significant distance away from the other. If the divorce was particularly volatile, a mother’s discontent with her ex may even cause problems in relationships between the children and their father.
Research shows that when children spend enough time with both parents, they typically do better overall than kids who live with a parent who has sole custody. A probe of 54 studies on the subject showed that children whose parents share joint custody suffer from less anxiety, depression and behavioral problems, and they do better in school. The data confirms that kids who live under a joint custody agreement are also less likely to abuse drugs and alcohol.
When it comes to child custody issues, men need to realize that they are important to their children. Relationships between fathers and their kids can become damaged if the dads aren’t a regular part of their kids’ lives. Co-parenting through joint physical custody really is the prime arrangement for creating happy children who live in two homes.
Child custody agreements can be handled between the parents themselves in some divorce cases. Yet others may enter into a child custody dispute and need to have the matter settled through the family court system. A divorce attorney may be able to help a man who wants to preserve or restore his rights to secure joint custody and healthy parenting time with his kids.
