Study Shows Children of All Ages Can Benefit from Overnight Visits with Dad

 Posted on February 02, 2017 in Family Law

When parents divorce, they often wonder how their children will adjust, particularly when it comes to transitioning from living in one home to two. Thankfully, researchers have spent the last several years studying how divorce impacts children, and most find that children adjust best when they have a continued loving relationship with both parents. In fact, a recent study that found children could benefit from an overnight with dad at any age.

Toddlers and Infants Often the Greatest Concern

When still adjusting to the two-home living situation, it is not uncommon for a child to miss one parent while they are at the home of the other. Yet it is younger children - namely toddlers and infants - that parents become most concerned about. Many worry that the young child will struggle too much with switching homes, or that the mother-infant bond will somehow be damaged. The recent study found neither of these to be true, even in situations where the children were extremely young.

Overnights With Dad Seem to Benefit Everyone

Conducted by Arizona State University (ASU), the recent study examined the relationship between children of divorce and their parents. Some had overnight parenting time with their fathers. Others did not. What researchers found is that, by the time they reached 18 to 20 years of age, those that had stayed overnight with their fathers during infancy and toddlerhood had stronger relationships with their dads. This was not surprising, of course - but the fact that they also seemed to have stronger relationships with their mothers was both unexpected and interesting.

Another key finding was that children who seemed to have the best relationship with both of their parents were those that spent about equal nights with both their mother and their father. Researchers also found that these benefits remained, even when mothers originally objected to the overnight stays, and when the relationship between mother and father remained contentious for the first five years after the original order.

Fighting for the Best Interests of Your Child

While no one likes to fight over their children, the truth is that some parents must fight harder than others to ensure their rights and best interests of their child are preserved. In such situations, The Stogsdill Law Firm, P.C. serves as both an aggressive ally and an experienced guide. To learn more about how we can assist with your case, call 630-462-9500 and schedule a consultation with our Wheaton family law attorneys today.

Source:

https://asunow.asu.edu/20170202-discoveries-asu-study-overnights-dad-benefit-kids-divorce