As an Illinois parent, chances are, you want to maximize the amount of time you get to spend with your children before they head off to college or otherwise begin life on their own. Once you divorce your child’s other parent, however, this can become decidedly more difficult, and you may find yourself adjusting to a joint-custody arrangement. At the Law Offices of Johnson & Buh, we understand that joint-custody arrangements are not always desirable for all parties involved, but we also recognize that such arrangements can have positive effects on children.
Per Time, children of divorce whose parents have joint-custody arrangements tend to fare better overall than their peers who are also children of divorce, but live exclusively with one parent or the other. This contradicts a commonly held belief about joint-custody arrangements, as many believe that transitioning between two homes might prove more problematic and stressful than it is worth.
Statistics indicate, however, that this is not, in fact, true. Children who lived in “nuclear families,” or those with both parents living in the same home, typically fared better emotionally and psychologically than children who had divorced parents. However, kids of divorce whose parents had shared custody fared better in numerous ways than those who lived in only one home.
More specifically, children of divorce whose parents shared custody were less likely to report feeling sad, tense or stressed out. Additionally, children whose parents had joint-custody arrangements were less likely to experience sleeping or appetite-related issues. They were also less likely to experience psychosomatic problems in general than their peers who lived with just one parent. You can find more about family law on our webpage.
