First, I applaud you for being a dad who wants to stay an important part of his kids' lives. This is my opinion: The kids are too young for 50/50 custody. I believe they should be with the parent that they are most bonded with a majority of the time. It's very difficult for kids under 3 to tolerate 50/50. They miss their primary caregiver when they're with the other parent.

I have a little guy who gets so upset when it's time for his dad to pick him up-it was never like this before they went to 50/50 custody and he started sleeping at his dad's house (up until age 2.5, Dad had him 3-4 days a week, but would always return him to Mom's at bedtime). When I tell him that Dad is coming to get him, he yells no and tells me MOMMY is coming to get him. These parents do a great job of co parenting (they broke up before the child was born) and their relationship is amicable, but I believe that he's too young to be away from his primary bond for an extended period.

I'd try to work out another situation until the children are older. One where you can still spend a significant amount of time with your children without passing them back and forth weekly. Or, if you are their primary bond, I'd try to get a custody situation where the kids spend the majority of their time with you. We all know that kids thrive on the expected and routine, and weekly back and forth may be too much for them.

Perhaps talking with a child psychologist would help you make a decision on the next step to take? It would be ideal if you and your ex could both attend a few sessions to work out what's in the kids' best interest.

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