Shared Parenting: What I wish I had known a decade ago
23 January 2018: Published on the Bub Hub website
A generation ago when a couple divorced, the custody arrangement was fairly standard – the kids usually lived with their mother and saw dad every second weekend.
Times have changed, families have evolved, and increasingly separating couples are moving towards a shared parenting custody arrangement. Changes to the Family Law Act in 2006 which saw the introduction of the ‘presumption of equal shared parental responsibility’ have led to this change, as has the increase in women in the workforce.
So does shared parenting work? As with any family dynamic there are situations where the families are as blissfully happy as the Brady Bunch and others where a Dr Phil-style intervention would not go astray.
The rest of us fall into the middle ground – sometimes it works, sometimes not so much.
Now that my children are adults, I have the benefit of hindsight to understand what worked and what I would change if I had my time over.