History

• Divorce is not something anybody plans for when entering a marriage, but it happens about half of the time in modern marriages. Statistics tell us that most of these marriages also involve children. That leaves many children dealing with loyalty issues, custody battles and two residences. It can get confusing for the most well-adjusted adult, but being a kid in the midst of this can get down right overwhelming. It need not be. The love for the children is what needs to take priority in any shared custody situation.
  
  

Types

• In order to protect children from a nasty custody battle, many parents decide to share custody of their children in a dignified manner. Sometimes shared custody is the result of a court battle in which the judge ordered this to take place. Sometimes shared custody occurs if the parents never married or were not together at the time of the child's birth. If both parents still want to be equally involved in the child's life, a shared custody agreement is then made.
  There are less traditional shared custody cases as well. Some foster parents end up obtaining shared custody in extreme cases. Sometimes grandparents are given shared custody if one or both parents surrenders--or is ordered to--give up parental rights. There are many types of situations in which children are wards of more than one guardian.
  
  

Function

• Shared custody is sometimes means switching homes every 2 weeks for children--they stay for 2 weeks in one house, then 2 weeks at the other parent's house.
  Sometimes shared custody agreements place the children with one parent during the week and with another during weekends. This tends to be an uneven agreement, since one parent gets the weekday chores, while the other gets the weekend fun. If this is alternated as well, it sometimes works more smoothly.
  Sometimes a parent is simply given visitation rights every other weekend.
  Shared custody agreements are always customized to specific situations. Evidence and arguments could change custody arrangements if something changes or comes to light about either parent or their actions.
  
  

Benefits

• Despite the heartache of divorce and the pain of being separated from one's own children, shared custody can end up being a good thing. Children end up with two rooms that they can decorate as they please in many scenarios. Parents end up with much more "me" time than they had previously. Children are less likely to take time spent with them for granted, and parents tend to make even more time to spend quality time with their children when they have less quantity of time. While nothing can easily heal the pain of divorce and dealing with the ongoing changes of shared custody, there are silver linings to even this cloud.
  
  

Warning

• Divorce is universally known to be an extremely hard thing for children to deal with. Not only is the family unit as they know it destroyed, but many irresponsible and extremely hurt parents drag the children into fights and custody arguments, trying to brainwash the children against one parent. Sometimes the children will end up going along, even into adulthood, to show loyalty to one parent. It's extremely important that the parents have a talk before deciding on divorce in order to put the children first. A child needs both parents, and shared custody is usually the most responsible decision, as long as both parties agree to create neutral territory wherever the children are involved.