A Columbus Ohio Shared Parenting Attorney article about shared parenting in Ohio.

Shared Parenting – what is that?  Shared parenting does not have a single definition.  For the legal definition, click here to view a page containing questions and answers about shared parenting in Ohio.  For the statutory definition, you can find it in this statute.

For the real world definition of shared parenting, shared parenting is what you make of it.  Shared parenting works as well or as poorly as the parents are willing to make it work.  I know, I know, you’ve probably read a lot of touchy – feely articles about shared parenting designed to make you just burst into song.  Just hang on for a few more minutes – I promise to make it worth your time.

When a couple splits up, their children almost always want them to get back together.  Once they realize that can’t happen, the children just want their parents to get along.  No matter how much the other parent gets on your nerves – you are stuck with them. They will always be the parent of your child.  If you are going to have the legal right to have shared parenting of your child, you are going to have to work to minimize conflicts with the other parent.

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There are websites designed to minimize conflicts and maximize accountability.  One such site is called Our Family Wizard.  Click here to look at Our Family Wizard.  The page I linked to lists some of the things people most commonly fight over in both shared parenting and sole custody cases.  Currently, the site costs about $100 a year.  Unfortunately, it has been our experience that families that co-parent well don’t really need the site, and families that are struggling with shared parenting don’t want that level of accountability.  Although the expense of the site is often given as the reason not to use the site, but a whole year of membership is cheaper than one hour of a lawyer’s time.  This site, and similar sites, allow a non-confrontational medium for exchanging schedules, documents, contact information, etc.  It is my understanding that the site tracks communications between the parties, document and receipt exhange, etc.  No more arguing about who told whom what, and when – it’s all right there preserved in perpetuity.  This is a tool that takes he said/she said out of the equation.  This has the effect of encouraging everyone to be on their best behavior.  It’s something to think about.

CALL NOW  at (614) 225-9316 or contact us by e-mail.

Another often overlooked resource for shared parenting is mediation.  To read our post about mediation, click here.

The bottom line is that shared parenting is not about a title, it is not about ownership, and it is not about child support.  Shared parenting is about co-parenting.  This means treating the other parent as an important part of your child’s life.

CALL NOW  at (614) 225-9316 or contact us by e-mail.

Unfortunately, some parents are or become unwilling to co-parent.  When that happens, you have five choices:

1. Ignore the problem
2. Try to work out the problems with the other parent through discussion, mediation or perhaps even counselling (if both parties are willing)
3. Return to court to enforce the shared parenting plan that you have (contempt of court ),
4. Return to court to modify the shared parenting plan that you have
5. Return to court to terminate shared parenting.

CALL NOW  at (614) 225-9316 or contact us by e-mail.

Once shared parenting is put in place, Ohio courts are generally in favor of maintaining shared parenting if at all possible.  If shared parenting is to be substantially changed, (either to terminate shared parenting or to change the school placement parent), Ohio courts must first find that there has been a change in circumstances.

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If the court finds that there has been a change in circumstances since the time of the last parenting decree, in order to terminate shared parenting or change the school placement parent, a court must ALSO find that the benefit of the change outweighs the detriment of the change.  For example, if the court is going to change the school placement parent and make the child change schools, then the court will first want to know that the benefit of changing the child’s school is going to outweigh the distress of changing schools.

Shared parenting used to be much more difficult for fathers who were not married to the mother of their child to obtain.  Courts are progressively moving toward the idea that a fit parent has a right to be fully involved in their child’s life.

CALL NOW  at (614) 225-9316 or contact us by e-mail.

For additional important information about establishing paternity in Ohio please visit the web page for Ohio Paternity Enhancement by clicking here.

For more information about MOTHER’S RIGHTS, see our page regarding MOTHER’S RIGHTS IN OHIO.

For more information about GRANDPARENT RIGHTS see our page regarding GRANDPARENTS RIGHTS IN OHIO.

For more information about obtaining CUSTODY, SHARED PARENTING, OR VISITATION in Ohio, see our post about OHIO CUSTODY.

For more information about DNA testing, see our post regarding DNA TESTING.

For more information about SHARED PARENTING, see our post regarding SHARED PARENTING IN OHIO.

For more information about the rights of UNMARRIED PARENTS OR NEVER MARRIED PARENTS, see our post regarding UNMARRIED PARENTS IN OHIO.

For more information about DISSOLUTION, see our page regarding DISSOLUTION IN OHIO.

For more information about DIVORCE, see our page regarding DIVORCE IN OHIO.

CALL NOW  at (614) 225-9316 or contact us by e-mail.

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