The impact of shared custody on children

On Behalf of | Sep 23, 2022 | Child Custody |

Texas law does allow parents to share physical custody of their children after a divorce. While there are many potential benefits of splitting custody, there may also be downfalls to such an arrangement. For instance, a child may be traumatized by having to split time between two homes as opposed to being able to stay in one place on a consistent basis.

Moving is tough on anyone

Moving day is generally one of the most stressful of a person’s life. This may be true even if you are moving from one furnished home or apartment to another. For a child, transitioning from one home to another on a regular basis can be even more stressful. This is because they may have to adjust to a new set of rules or being further away from friends while spending time with a given parent.

The potential benefits of shared custody

Although living in two homes may be somewhat annoying, shared physical custody can still be beneficial for a child. The ability to spend time with both parents may help a child feel loved and cared for, which may make it easier to deal with the fact that mom and dad don’t live together anymore. Furthermore, spending time with both parents means that a child gets to have multiple role models in his or her life.

Ideally, you’ll allow your child to have a relationship with your former spouse if it is safe to do so. In fact, interfering with that relationship may make it harder to retain custody rights yourself. If you have any concerns about a child custody arrangement, you are encouraged to bring them up to the judge as soon as possible.