Our children need both parents. Sole custody does not promote strong relantionships with a child and both parents.
We need to start encouraging relantionships between a child and both parents. The system we have now absolutely does not do this. Giving one parent sole custody and only allowing the other parent to visit with their child 4 days a month is definitely unfair. Only letting the child see one of their parents 4 days a month makes them feel like a stranger in their own parents home. Let alone, how the parent feels like a stranger in their own child's life.
Numerous studies on joint custody physical custody find that the children have less depression, better adjusting and social skilss, more school effort, and higher grades than those children in sole custody situations. Shared parenting helps provide emotional stability by promoting the involvement of both parents(Children's Rights Council 2000). Also, children in sole custody situations are in a higher risk catergory of having drug and alochol abuse, emotional and behavior problems, suicide, and criminal records.
The way our system is now in a sole custody situation one parent gets to enjoy having their child 314 days a year, while the other parent is lucky if they get to enjoy 50 days a year with their child. How is this fair for the child or the parent? This is definitely not encouraging a relantionship with both parents at all. If one parent passes away, do we question the living parents capabilities of raising their children?. NO, so why if both parents are willing and able to care for their child don't we let them have equal time with their child and encourage the child to have a strong relantionship with both parents. Pennsylvania needs to change this to help our chilren.
