by Charlie Brooks posted in Parenting

Lawmakers in numerous states are pushing for co-parenting options that allow for more equal parenting time. The various bills introduced across the U.S. seek to make equal parenting time the default starting point in custody battles.
The idea has merit. For decades, most children whose parents get divorced have gone through the same custody process. One parent, usually the mom, gets full-time custody, and the other has a schedule of visits. As somebody whose parents went through a messy divorce, I know the process truly sucks for all involved.
If my wife and I ever split up, I would want the chance to spend as much time with my kids as possible. Under my state?s current system, I?d be lucky to see them every weekend. However, divorce is a messy business, and adjusting the laws can cause some unintended consequences. Critics of the bills argue that stricter equal time laws might reduce protections against abusive former spouses. These laws would also change the child support structure, which some argue would hurt newly single moms who already have to deal with a society that pays them less than their male counterparts.
I think any law that tries to set a default custody ruling from a judge will almost certainly run into trouble. This goes for our current laws, too. There are too many instances of courts forcing unfavorable custody situations or of parents manipulating the system to use their kids as weapons against a former spouse.

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