50/50 parenting tearing kids apart
For many involved, particularly fathers, so-called 50/50 parenting arrangements have been a great success.
But there is growing concern amongst experts that the system is proving disastrous for some families, with the children paying the price.
When relationships break down, and at the latest official count at least one third of Australian marriages will, often the source of greatest conflict is who gets the children.
Perhaps the biggest revolution in family law since the act was first drafted has been the recent introduction of the concept of equal shared parental responsibility.
It has led to a sharp rise in 50/50 care arrangements where children spend half their time with each parent, usually on a weekly or fortnightly basis.
It was after concerted lobbying by fathers groups that the Howard government changed the law in 2006 to make equal-shared care the first preference in most custody cases.
It meant a judge had to reject the 50/50 option before looking at any other. Since then there has been a dramatic rise in the number of children in these arrangements.
Child psychologist Jennifer McIntosh was studying 260 families who were fighting over custody when she stumbled across a distinct group of children in real distress.
All of them were in equal-care arrangements. She argues that rather than being shared, these children are being torn apart by their parents.
“I think the spirit of the new legislation is right, but the devils in the detail and what its inadvertently done, I think, is fanned the flames of conflict,” Dr McIntosh said.
“They loathe and detest each other and that spills over on to the child. The child knows full well that my parents arent friends, in fact they hate each other.”
Read the full story 50/50 parenting tearing kids apart - ABC News Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Comment by admin on 16 June 2008:
Also in the news article it states:
“Loving your children, it just boils down to that, loving your children, you’ve got to love your children more than you hate or dislike your ex or whatever your situation is,” Mr Lehozcky said.
“You’ve always got to put them in front, put them first, think of them first.”
How true, it is about the children, it is not about the parents. When will some parents wake up to themselves and focus on the children.
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