A child needs both parents, that’s a perfect option but there is such a thing as divorce and shared parenting. Is that really good for the children? The recent studies have clearly demonstrated that children’s ongoing relationships with both parents are vital, regardless of children’s age and situation.
These convergences raise the question about needed reforms in social-legal policies and the therapeutic practices focused in post-divorce or separation relationships and living arrangements, in order to improve the welfare, development, and the “best interests” of children whose parents live apart. Additionally, they point out to the importance of raising public awareness about the importance of carrying out these reforms.
The modern psychologists advocate a “best interests of the child from the perspective of the child” approach to replace the current standard, taking into account the results of child-focused research on the consequences of parental divorce on children’s well-being. In Norway, a study with more than 7,000 teenagers aged 16 to 19 does not show significant differences between teenagers living in equal shared parenting or nuclear families in terms of their physical health, their emotions and their social behaviour.
The right balance between work and family life is vital, too. Maternity/paternity leave should be adapted to allow for better retention in employment, and paternity leave should be extended to allow fathers to build, maintain or strengthen ties with babies and very young children, say the experts. Under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), as well as the European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights (2011, Article 24), the children have established significant relationships with both parents. Kids must have a residential arrangement that allows them to maintain and preserve these relationships after divorce or separation.
