Bigenitorialità: Ensuring Both Parents' Involvement After Separation

Bigenitorialità is the principle that a child has the right to maintain a constant and equal relationship with both parents after separation.

What is Bigenitorialità?

Bigenitorialità is the child's inherent right to maintain a stable, continuous, and meaningful relationship with both parents, even if they are separated or divorced. It's not just a parental duty but a fundamental right of the child to receive care, upbringing, and education from both sides of the family.

Practical Application and Importance

In Italy, this principle is the cornerstone of Law 54/2006, which established /glossary/shared-custody as the general rule. Bigenitorialità means both parents share equal responsibilities in raising their children and actively participate in significant decisions affecting them. For single parents, the goal is to ensure the child doesn't perceive the separation as the loss of a parental figure but as a reorganization of the family unit.

Challenges for Single Parents

To truly practice Bigenitorialità, it's crucial to move beyond the concept of \"second-class parenting.\" This requires effective communication and the ability to separate marital conflict from parental responsibilities. Tools like a /glossary/visitation-schedule and /glossary/co-parenting practices are essential for transforming this legal principle into a harmonious daily routine for the children.