Parents involved in child custody determinations may at times lose sight of what is most important. They may attempt to use their children as pawns to hurt their former spouse, rather than seek what is in their child's best interests. When parents work together in determining custody they can make the process go much smoother and create the best arrangement for their children.
Recording artist Keyshia Cole may be doing this as she is reportedly pursuing a divorce from her husband of three years, former NBA player Daniel Gibson. Ms. Cole has drafted the papers for the action and will soon file them in court. The couple has a four-year-old son together. They have reportedly been separated from each other for three months already and have been parenting their son together during that time.
There have been recent trends favoring custody arrangements in which both parents spend a relatively equivalent amount of time with their children. Such an agreement between parents is known as joint custody. Those in favor of this type of custody feel that it is best for children as it provides them with the easiest transition to their parents' divorce. Those opposed to joint custody feel that it fails to provide children with one home. Courts have been reluctant in the past to order joint custody as it requires parents to be able to cooperate with each other and make decisions together even after going through a divorce.
Joint custody is one of many arrangements that can be ordered for child custody as a result of divorce. The appropriate arrangement is determined by analyzing multiple factors to assess the best interests of the children involved. A parent going through a divorce may seek the assistance of a family law attorney to guide them through the process of determining child custody.
Source: Atlanta Daily World, "Keyshia Cole officially files for divorce from Daniel 'Boobie' Gibson," Terry Shropshire, June 20, 2014