March 14, 2019-It’s Not About the Money

The argument by those opposed to equal shared parenting that fathers are just trying to avoid paying child support is as equally offensive as is the argument that dads tend to make that the “mom just wants my money – that’s why she won’t agree to equal time”. One author’s experience as a family law lawyer for 40 years (Colman) establishes that parents tend to assert positions in regard to parenting that they truly believe are best for their kids. They spend huge amounts of money on their lawyers and/or they incur tremendous psychological stressors within the family law system to have their positions prevail with respect to achieving what they believe to be the appropriate parenting regime. To equate what are usually well intentioned motives with improper motives (i.e. It’s just the money (s)he cares about!) unfairly degrades the other parent. Lawyers, mediators and custody assessors who give blanket and unquestioning credence to such fallacious arguments should proceed with much greater caution.

Gene C. Colman and George A. Piskor, forthcoming article