Can Child be a member of two households in the same ward?

[dem4142]

I have a case in my ward where both parents live in the ward and are separate households. They have one child. Can the child be a member of both households? It is a sensitive issue for both and they both want her listed in their household. What is the best way to handle this?

[lajackson]

Can the child be a member of both households? . . . What is the best way to handle this?

I think the best way to handle this situation is for the bishop to sit down with the mother and father and explain to them that the child will be listed in the Directory in one household or the other. He or she cannot be listed in both.

I do not envy the bishop. He will get extra blessings for this one.

I suppose he could work out a schedule where the child could spend some time in one household and then some time in the other, alternating. That would require some precise manual effort on the part of the clerk, and in my opinion would not be a good idea. But if the parents are so fragile that this might help, it could be done. I suspect it would not be helpful, though, and would raise a lot of questions among the other members.

The bishop might also decide to follow the pattern of the custody order from the courts, if that helps.

But I would let the bishop handle this one, and then follow his instruction. In the current Directory system, the child will be in one household or the other, not both at the same time.

[sbradshaw]

Alternatively, depending on the age of the child, the child could be in his or her own household, separate from both parents.