Month: April 2014

Easter is this Sunday, Passover began Monday night, and signs of spring are everywhere. Parents who are divorcing, or married for that matter, struggle with how to share their religious beliefs with their children. When parents have different beliefs the problem is magnified. When parents have different beliefs and then divorce it can be a challenging situation. In ages past, cultural norms would have children follow the father’s religion, or the mother’s religion. When parents divorced then typically the parent with “custody” or the “primary residential parent” was allowed to direct the children’s religious education and experience. That has changed. Now courts are more likely to rule that the children will follow the religious practice of the parent they are currently with. In a religious version of ‘love the one you’re with’ each parent can take the child to their church, or synagogue or pagan festival so long as it is during their residential time with the child. Eventually all children must be allowed to choose their own belief system and religious practice (welcome to the teenage years). As is all co-parenting issue, mutual respect is the key to success.