SHARED PARENTING RESOURCE CENTER

Shared parenting legislation would require a presumption of substantial equal parenting, in most instances, for unwed and divorced parents, unless there is clear and convincing evidence of unfitness.

What do children have to say about Mom and Dad
This Video is awesome! Courtesy of www.fatherachildsright.org

Shared Parenting Radio Interview, WJIM AM in Lansing (15 min), August 5
Click Here to listen

Children Likely to be Better Adjusted in Joint VS Sole Custody Arrangements in Most Cases, According to Review of Research (Living Situation Not As Influential As Time Spent With Parent) ...a meta-analysis of 33 studies between 1982 to 1999 that examined 1,846 sole-custody and 814 joint-custody children. The studies compared child adjustment in joint physical or joint legal custody with sole-custody settings and 251 intact families.

"Children in joint custody arrangements had less behavior and emotional problems, had higher self-esteem, better family relations and school performance than children in sole custody arrangements. And these children were as well-adjusted as intact family children on the same measures, said Bauserman, "probably because joint custody provides the child with an opportunity to have ongoing contact with both parents."

Article: "Child Adjustment in Joint-Custody Versus Sole-Custody Arrangements: A Meta-Analytic Review," Robert Bauserman, Ph.D., AIDS Administration/Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; Journal of Family Psychology, Vol 16, No. 1.

Additional Research - Shared Parenting Best for Children - Click Here

Search the Bill: Check this site for the latest version of the bill:
http://www.legislature.mi.gov/

Legislator questionnaire for shared parenting:
PAC Legislative Questionnaire.doc
In Use this questionnaire to survey your legislator and find their position on this legislation. Some may agree, but have some concerns. It is important to understand these concerns. Those that do not return the survey are presumed to oppose shared parenting arrangements, and there are judges, lawyers, legislators, scholars, educators, etc. that will passionately oppose this bill.

Why is shared parenting the most significant civil rights issue today?

What the American People say about Shared Parenting
http://www.fathersandfamilies.org/site/ballot.php
In the 2004 national election, Massachusetts included a ballot question on shared parenting. In an unprecedented landslide, 86% of those at the polls voted for joint physical custody of children on a non-binding ballot question. The lopsided margin of victory was greater than that of any elected official in Massachusetts, including John Kerry, Barney Frank, or Jim McGovern. The petition passed in all legislative districts.

The State of Michigan legislative pubic policy team has prepared the following bullet points.

Shared Parenting Blue Sheet FOR.rtf

To see comments to the Detroit News article, click here.
Source: Detroit News October 31, 2004

DOMP Note: Joint awards include joint legal or joint physical custody or both. According to the Michigan Parenting Time Guidelines, this would include every other weekend visitation. Visitation and parenting have very different definitions.

What do the OPPONENTS of shared parenting have to say?
The State of Michigan legislative public policy team has prepared the following bullet points:

Shared Parenting Blue Sheet AGAINST.rtf

Who OPPOSES shared parenting:

National Organization of Women
Michigan Bar Association - Family Law Section
Domestic Violence Organizations
Legislators, Judges, lawyers that oppose equal parenting
Michigan Department of Human Services

Important links in OPPOSITION to shared parenting:

Liz Notes on Joint Custody :
http://www.gate.net/liz/liz/those-jointcustody-studies.html
Liz is the feminist feminist and is very creative in continuing to resurrect myths and statistics that have been debunked several times over. A famous myth is that men are awarded custody in contested cases 90% of the time (and how much money?)

Important links to support shared parenting:

A Guide To Shared Parenting:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1878901567/

American Bar Association:
http://www.abanet.org/publiced/practical/books/family/chapter_12.pdf

American Psychological Association articles:
http://search.apa.org/search?query=custody
http://www.apa.org/monitor/jun02/custody.html

California Shared Parenting Alliance:
http://cspaonline.org/news.php

Child Custody Coach:
http://www.childcustodycoach.com/approach.html

Parenting plans with kids in mind:
http://www.apa.org/monitor/dec05/mind.html

Sample Letters in support of shared parenting:

DADS and MOMS PAC Lobbyist - With many of the pending bills reaching a critical stage, DADS of Michigan PAC must engage a lobbyist to further these issues. This is not free and we need you to make a monthly financial commitment of $10, $15, $25, $50, $100, $500, $1000 per month for the next year. We can process these via credit card each month. Make your pledge, email info@dadsmomspac.org

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