While deployment is certainly challenging enough on its own, that stress can increase drastically when military parents are also dealing with child custody battles, especially if one of the parents is deployed far away.
An additional way to provide support and appreciation for military families is through shared parenting rights, regardless of whether a parent is deployed.
Shared parenting is a flexible arrangement in which children spend as close to equal time with each parent as possible following a divorce or separation, and is appropriate if there has been no domestic violence and both parents are fit. A growing body of research has shown that shared parenting is in the best interests of children, even those who are very young. Children who have meaningful contact with both parents are shown to be happier and healthier and do better in school than kids raised by single parents in traditional custody arrangements.