A study recently published in the American Psychology Association’s journal of Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, found children 2 years old and younger benefited from spending equal time and having overnights with both mom and dad when their parents were not together. I’m writing about this study only to report its findings. One should not infer that I support or disagree with the study. However, this new information may run counter to many people’s beliefs in regard to the best parenting time arrangements for children following a divorce, particularly newborns and toddlers. Often, young children spend a disproportionate amount of time with their mothers and have limited overnight stays with their dads. The honest intention is to provide stability and do what is best for the child. However, this study may change a judge’s perception of what is in the child’s best interests.
Children Under 2 Benefit From Equal Time
Researchers from Arizona State University surveyed 100 children of divorce, once they were between 18 to 20 years, and their parents. Most of the children’s parents were divorced by the time the kids were 3 years old. The researchers asked the young adults about their childhoods and current relationships with their parents, and the parents about the time they spent with their kids following the divorce.
From the children and parent’s responses, the researchers found kids who had overnights with their dads as infants and toddlers had better relationships with their fathers as adults compared to the children who did not stay at their father’s homes frequently following the divorce. Additionally, spending more time at dad’s house improved the children’s relationship with their mothers as adults. The children who had equal overnight time with their moms and dads up to the age of 2 had the strongest relationships with both parents.
Fathers and Children Cannot Make Up Time Later
According to the ASU study, fathers and children cannot quite make up for lost time. Even when children spent more time with their dads later in their childhoods and teenage years, they did not have as strong of relationships later in life as children and fathers who had more time together during the toddler years.
Were These Relationships Affected by the Parents’ Attitudes?
The study did not find that children’s relationships with their parents were swayed by the parent’s attitudes when the kids were young. The researchers uncovered the same findings for children whose parents had little conflict or a great deal of conflict for 5 years following the divorce or who had overnight time with both parents due to a court order or parental agreement.
What This Means for Illinois’ Parenting Time Guidelines
As previously noted, I am only reporting this study and it is not my intention to be a proponent of the findings or an opponent to any contrary studies or opinions. For any parent going through a divorce or expecting a child while unmarried, this study may be of interest. Under Illinois law 750 ILCS 5/602.7, the courts are to establish parenting time according to the child’s best interests and will look at a variety of factors to do so, including:
- The wishes of the parent(s) seeking parenting time
- The wishes of the child, depending on his or her maturity
- The amount of time each parent spent performing caretaking functions in the previous 24 months, or if the child is under 2, since birth
- The mental and physical needs of the parents and child
- The child’s needs
- The distance between the parent’s homes and cost and difficulty or ease of transportation
Unless specific factors encourage the judge to give one parent a greater amount of time than another, one may conceivably argue that it is in your child’s best interests to have equal time with you and the other parent.
A Chicago Child Custody Lawyer Can Help
For more information on Illinois parenting time and responsibility, contact me at (312) 621-5234 to schedule an initial consultation. I have more than 25 years of helping my clients during child custody disputes. I will focus on protecting your rights and establishing the best arrangement for your child.
