I only read a bedtime story to my daughter four days a month. I’ve never helped her get ready for school, and I’ve never picked her up afterwards. If I’m lucky, I get about 3 hours during the week for a “dinner visit.” Not because I’m unfit or uninvolved, but because Georgia law currently says that’s enough.

This is the heartbreaking reality for countless parents across Georgia—and worse, it’s hurting our children.

Over 40 years of research shows that children thrive when both parents are actively involved after separation or divorce. Shared parenting—where fit and willing parents have equal or nearly equal parenting time—leads to stronger mental health, better academic outcomes, and more stable relationships.

But Georgia’s laws haven’t caught up. Courts still default to sole or primary custody, often without any allegation of unfitness. This outdated approach limits a child’s time with one parent and creates long-term emotional harm.

Georgia voters overwhelmingly support change:

• 92% believe it’s in a child’s best interest to spend as much time as possible with each parent
• 94% say they’re more likely to vote for a candidate who supports equal parenting time when both parents are fit and willing

Other states like Kentucky and Florida have already passed shared parenting legislation. The results: less conflict, better outcomes for kids, and a system that reflects what families need.

We’re calling on Georgia lawmakers to support legislation that:

• Creates a rebuttable presumption of equal parenting time in custody cases where both parents are fit and willing
• Prioritizes the best interest of the child, not outdated court defaults
• Upholds children’s right to meaningful, consistent relationships with both parents

Let’s stop taking sides. Let’s put children first.

Sign this petition to tell Georgia lawmakers it’s time to make shared parenting the standard—not the exception.