Legal Definitions - parenting

Parenting refers to the comprehensive actions and responsibilities involved in raising and caring for a child. This includes providing for their physical needs, emotional support, education, discipline, and overall guidance as they grow.

• Example 1: After adopting a newborn, Maya and Ben dedicated themselves to parenting by ensuring the baby received proper nutrition, regular medical check-ups, and a loving, stimulating environment. They also began planning for her future education and emotional development.

  Explanation: This illustrates parenting as the active performance of all duties associated with raising a child, from basic care to long-term development, by adoptive parents.

• Example 2: Following a divorce, Sarah continued her role in parenting her two teenagers by helping them with homework, setting curfews, teaching them financial responsibility, and offering emotional support through their adolescent challenges.

  Explanation: This example shows parenting as the ongoing process of guiding and supporting children through various life stages, including discipline and emotional care, even in a single-parent household.

Parallel Parenting describes a situation where divorced or separated parents, despite having different approaches or disagreements on certain aspects of child-rearing, manage their child's daily routines and discipline independently when the child is in their respective care. They generally do not interfere with the other parent's methods during their designated time.

• Example 1: Liam and Chloe, who are divorced, have very different ideas about screen time. When their daughter is with Liam, she has a strict one-hour limit on video games. When she is with Chloe, she is allowed more flexibility. Neither parent comments on or tries to change the other's rules during their separate household times. This arrangement is an example of parallel parenting.

  Explanation: This demonstrates parallel parenting because each parent maintains their own distinct rules and routines for the child without attempting to influence or challenge the other parent's approach when the child is not in their direct care.

• Example 2: Mark prefers his son to complete homework immediately after school, while his ex-wife, Jessica, allows their son to play first and do homework later in the evening. They do not discuss or criticize each other's schedules, allowing each to manage their household's routine independently. This is a form of parallel parenting.

  Explanation: This illustrates parallel parenting as the parents operate independently regarding daily routines and discipline, respecting each other's distinct methods without requiring agreement or coordination on every detail.

Shared Parenting refers to a cooperative arrangement between divorced or separated parents where they actively collaborate and make joint decisions regarding their child's upbringing. This often involves regular communication and a unified approach to major aspects of the child's life, such as education, healthcare, and extracurricular activities.

• Example 1: Despite living in separate homes, David and Emily regularly communicate about their son's academic progress, jointly decide on his summer camp enrollment, and attend parent-teacher conferences together. They also agree on a consistent disciplinary approach for major issues. This collaborative effort exemplifies shared parenting.

  Explanation: This shows shared parenting because the parents are actively cooperating, communicating, and making joint decisions about significant aspects of their child's life, demonstrating a unified front in their child-rearing.

• Example 2: When their daughter needed braces, Michael and Lisa discussed the different orthodontic options, agreed on the best course of treatment, and coordinated all appointments and payments together. They also regularly update each other on her social development and any challenges she might be facing. This is an example of shared parenting.

  Explanation: This illustrates shared parenting through the parents' joint decision-making on a significant health matter and ongoing communication about their child's well-being, indicating a cooperative approach to raising their daughter.