Caring For Your Child After Divorce
It is a common misconception that joint child custody gives parents a 50/50 opportunity to care for their children after divorce. Most parents who file petitions seeking child custody rights have this thinking, but the reality is that at no single moment time can you share the child in equal measure. This can be confirmed from the analogy of King Solomon’s wisdom that sought to find the true parent of the child. Understanding that a child cannot be cut into two equal parts should help parents know that while every parent deserves a share of the relationship and love, it cannot be as perfect as it were prior to divorce.
Child Custody Plan
Therefore, it is good to come up with a child custody plan that is not rigid. This enables each parent to have a fair claim of the child. From the “child’s interest standards” it is not all about an equal amount of time that each parent should have with the child, but rather it has to do with the quality relationship that a child can have with either of the parents at any moment. This means that whether you have spent little time with your child, the interests of the child will carry the day when determining custody plans.
Dealing With Your Child’s Needs
From the child’s perspective, your involvement as a parent in availing the needs of the child whenever he or she needs will determine whether you deserve the right to retain custody of the child. This means that parents should shift from the ordinary thinking of 50/50 sharing of time since time may not be the same in actual sense from a child’s standpoint. Therefore, to some extent, custody rights must be construed to mean allowing the child an opportunity to relate to his or her parents in his or best interest. A child’s good experience can be derived from a parent who is always available and who allows them the freedom to attend to their developmental needs. Extracurricular activities are meant to help a child to grow and develop. Therefore, a child cannot be denied this chance because they need to stay with either of the parents. In actual sense, both parents may have to let the child go to an event without causing any bad feeling of loss of time to mingle and relate to him or her.
When a child is left to enjoy the company each parent as he or she wishes, then parents can begin to enjoy or start to have 100% meaningful company and relationship with the child. When parents seek joint custody, it should be known that this type of custody has to do with sharing the responsibility when it comes to the child’s needs. The quality of the relationship that you will have with your child after divorce depends on the quality of the company and the ability to offer support to the child rather than casual spending of time together.
When you need the assistance of a Toronto divorce lawyer but don’t know where to turn, Fine & Associates is here for you. Our panel of family lawyers is sure to help you out, whatever your needs may be.