What is the impact of shared parenting on the relationship?

I expect that the children know how deeply their parents care for them. However, caring alone is not enough to make continued joint custody and shared parenting work. There must be more ‑ it takes a relatively high level of communication, cooperation, and the willingness to make the extra effort needed for it to work. There needs to be a foundation of mutual trust and respect between the parties. In making my decision about what is in the children's best interests I must be "conscious of the gap between the ideals of shared parenting and the social reality of custody and childcare decisions". (Young v. Young at para. 46)