Category: NPO in the media

A bill being heard this week by a Missouri legislative committee promotes shared parenting – a flexible arrangement in which children spend as close to equal time as possible with each parent after separation or divorce.

The legislation proposes adding language to the state’s child custody law to emphasize that the best interest of the child is equal access to both parents – a change that would encourage judges to pay more attention to research on the best interest of children.

Dr. Ned Holstein, president of the National Parents Organization, says numerous studies have shown in recent years that children do not fare as well in “sole custody” or “primary custody” arrangements and that shared custody needs to be emphasized whenever it is possible.

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When Terry or Charlie Baton play a sport or have a parent-teacher conference or band concern, they know their four parents will be there. The teenage boys live in two homes about 50-50. And they are, say mom Amanda Davis and dad Shane Baton, about the best-adjusted children of divorce around.

“We agreed when we got divorced that the kids come first,” said Davis.

“We divorced each other, not them,” added Baton.

Davis and Baton are almost seven years into shared parenting in the wake of divorce, which makes them both trendy and unusual. Shared parenting is growing in popularity — several states already have laws creating a presumption that children will be raised by both parents post-breakup, and 20 state legislatures considered such laws last year, with varying results, although a presumption of shared parenting is very rare. Only 17 percent of custody cases result in shared parenting, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Recently, several research groups have endorsed shared parenting, which is not exactly synonymous with joint custody, since that can be legal or physical or both, said Ned Holstein, founder and acting executive director of the National Parents Organization, which vocally supports the practice. With shared parenting, children live atleast30 percent of the time with each parent.Decision-makingismoreequalthanwhenoneparent has legal or physical custody, too.

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As a mother and grandmother, I’ve felt the pain Missouri’s broken family court system inflicts on families. Children are hurting. Parents are hurting. Aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents — everyone’s hurting.

All this because our courts continue rubber stamping the outdated primary residential custody parenting model after divorce or separation, despite an overwhelming amount of research showing children need and want equal access to both parents. Thankfully, Missouri legislators are currently considering legislation that aligns with research and stands to turn families’ pain into joy. HB 2055, sponsored by Kathy Swan of Cape Girardeau, and SB 964, sponsored by Wayne Wallingford, also of Cape Girardeau, encourage our state’s courts to award shared parenting — a flexible arrangement where children spend as close to equal time as possible with each parent — when both parents are fit and there has been no domestic violence, and I urge all lawmakers to support this crucial proposal.

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National Parents Organization welcomes the stunning news that the Council of Italian Bishops (Conferenza Episcopale Italiana, or CEI) has endorsed shared parenting after divorce or separation, based on a full-page spread that appeared in its official newspaper, Avvenire (“Future”) on the Sunday before Christmas. The article was written by the Chief Editor of Avvenire, Luciano Moia. The article urges family courts to not only state support for shared parenting, but to also ensure the arrangement actually occurs in practice. Also, the article was supportive of legislative efforts that encourage shared parenting.

“This article follows a series of statements by Pope Francis over the last year emphasizing the critical importance of two parents for children, and specifically of the father, because of the problem of fatherlessness,” said Dr. Ned Holstein, Founder and Board Chair of National Parents Organization. “This is an additional reason to believe that the December 20, 2015 article in Avvenire reflects the vision of the Pope. Given the historical reluctance of the Church to involve itself in matters of divorce, this is a striking development.”

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National Parents Organization welcomes the stunning news that the Council of Italian Bishops (Conferenza Episcopale Italiana, or CEI) has endorsed shared parenting after divorce or separation, based on a full-page spread that appeared in its official newspaper,Avvenire (“Future”) on the Sunday before Christmas. The article was written by the Chief Editor of Avvenire, Luciano Moia. The article urges family courts to not only state support for shared parenting, but to also ensure the arrangement actually occurs in practice. Also, the article was supportive of legislative efforts that encourage shared parenting.

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It started months ago — the positioning, the “talk,” the traveling around the country to small towns and big cities and everywhere in between, speaking at town hall meetings, through cellphone video sound bites or via super-efficient 140-character tweets.

What presidential candidates actually are talking about and what they should be talking about are two very different things. One of the largely overlooked key issues for not only Virginia families but also mothers, fathers and children throughout the nation is improving the well-being of our children when parents divorce or separate.

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Holidays can be stressful with so many things to do … gifts to be purchased, parties to plan, and holiday themed events …things can get pretty busy for most families. It can be even more stressful if parents are divorced, and trying to figure out ways to share the children for the holidays.

The National Parents Organization states that, with nearly half of marriages ending in divorce, there has been a reform effort by the family court system to ensure parental equality and shared parenting. this would leave neither parent in the position to be “pigeonholed” as the primary care giver, or bread winner, following divorce or separation.

Rather, they would share the responsibility of raising their children, following a divorce or separation.

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Noncustodial parents may soon be able to spend more time with their children in light of recent consideration, on the part of almost two dozen states, of a reform of child custody law that would involve shared custody of children following divorce or separation.

A press release from the National Parents Organization (NPO), which supports shared parenting in divorce, said that the states that are contemplating a reform of parental laws may give children what they really want and need, which is an equal amount of time with each parent in cases of divorce or separation.

The NPO wishes people to think about the gender inequality that is present in the family courts, and to press for change so that fathers can have equal time with their children. According to the Wall Street Journal, the majority of the suggestions for reform are recommending that judges carry out schedules that give both parents the greatest amount of time with their children. Some proposals, such as those in New York and Washington state, would mandate equal time for each parent except in cases where there is evidence to suggest that such a custody agreement would not be in the best interests of the child.

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In 2014, Virginia was home to 552,000 children living in split homes. This number amounts to 31 percent of all of Virginia’s children — a percentage that is greater than the rate in 38 other states. While we may not be able to have an impact on parents’ decisions to split or stay together, we absolutely can affect what is in the best interest of the children in those split homes.

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National Parents Organization is pleased to announce that its Founder and Board Chair, Dr. Ned Holstein, has been selected to speak at the International Conference on Shared Parenting 2015 in Bonn, Germany, Dec. 9-11.

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