When Sharing Parenting Does Not Work

A few words of warning

by Jill Burrett and Michael Green


Shared parenting doesn’t work for children when:

1.There are very high levels of intractable conflict between the parents
2.The parents are more focused on getting their fair share of time than on the real interests of their children
3.It’s a regime imposed because the parents couldn’t come to an amicable arrangement, and they lack the goodwill to make it work
4. A parent has plenty of time technically with the children but is not really there for them
5.A parent’s inattention causes children to feel unsettled or like visitors
6.Children do not feel at home in both households
7.There is inflexibility about the arrangements over time

Shared Parending

This article has been edited and excerpted from Shared Parenting: Raising Your Children Cooperatively After Separation. Copyright © 2009 by Jill Burrett and Michael Green, Celestial Arts, an imprint of Ten Speed Press, a division of the Crown Publishing Group, Berkeley, CA.