Nashville, TN family law attorney Anne Hamer talks about the trends she sees in the area of custody. Since Anne began practicing divorce law, she has observed significant changes in child custody, now referred to as parenting time. Traditionally, fathers had weekends and perhaps one night during the week, while mothers had the majority of the parenting time. This old pattern is largely outdated.

Currently, courts are more inclined to give one parent additional time over the weekend, often resulting in arrangements where one parent has the children from Thursday through Monday, plus one night during the week. In some cases, even if the parties are not in agreement, if both parents can equally and productively parent the children in ways that serve the children’s best interests, many courts now approve 50/50 parenting plans.

The courts frequently approve these equal time arrangements, recognizing their benefits for the children. Nobody wants to divorce and spend less time with their children, so courts are increasingly striving to equalize parents’ time, which is seen as a positive development for families.