Click on the Title for Information about Shared Parenting in this State

Children in our Nation are suffering from misguided public policy and a terribly flawed Family Court system that consistently awards sole custody to one parent, and drives the other parent, most often the father, into exile and bankruptcy. This is done, despite the overwhelming scientific evidence that child well being depends on the involvement of both parents. This is true whether the parents are married, divorced, or have never been married. Following are quotations from numerous studies. These studies indicate unequivocally that shared parenting should be adopted nation wide as a means of increasing child well being. <><><><> Children who grow up without a father present, even when adjustments are made for income, are 75% more likely to need professional assistance for emotional problems, twice as likely to repeat a grade of school, and more likely to suffer a wide variety of other disorders including anxiety, peer conflict, and hyperactivity. (National Center for Health Statistics, 1991: Study of 17,100 children in various family structures. The report also noted that children living with a mother and stepfather fared worse on most indicators.).

Children have a natural right to both parents, but they need your help. <><><><> The resources on these pages can help you fight for your rights of your child to have both parents. <><><><> To see the importance of shared parenting, consider how you, as an adult, would feel if you could see your children only four days a month. Like most parents, you would miss them terribly, even with your adult level of emotional maturity. Children, with their fragile, still-developing emotions, often suffer much more. Children naturally love and need both parents. Sadly, most children of divorce see their non-custodial parent only four days a month, which is not enough whether that parent is a mother or father. <><><><> Dangers of sole custody. Not surprisingly, sole custody can result in serious problems for children. Children raised in single parent families are at greater risk for juvenile delinquency, teen pregnancy, poor grades, drugs, dropping out of school, and other trouble. These risks occur even after factoring in differences in income. In fact, risks are even higher in stepfamilies, despite their significantly higher income and best efforts. Research shows that the lack of involvement by both natural parents is a primary cause of these risks. Here is what the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services has to say: <><><><> More than a quarter of American children—nearly 17 million—do not live with their father. Girls without a father in their life are two and a half times as likely to get pregnant and 53 percent more likely to commit suicide. Boys without a father in their life are 63 percent more likely to run away and 37 percent more likely to abuse drugs. Both girls and boys are twice as likely to drop out of high school, twice as likely to end up in jail and nearly four times as likely to need help for emotional or behavioral problems. <><><><> HHS Press Release, Friday, March 26, 1999.