Divorcing with kids? Consider mediation

Many parents face the difficult prospect of dissolving a marriage that cannot continue while still caring for the children they both love very much. If you’re like most people, you’ve heard plenty of horror stories of divorces that were devastating to children who lived through them, often harming the relationships with their parents for years to come.

The good news is that divorce doesn’t have to be this way. Through divorce mediation, it is possible for you and your spouse to work together toward a fair and peaceful divorce, sparing your children much of the pain of traditional divorce litigation.

Divorce mediation is not a magic button to push that will solve all of your divorce problems. It is, however, an established method for working together with your spouse so that each party is able to leave the marriage in a fair way that addresses all the necessary legal matters and preserves personal dignity.

As some of the chief victims of divorce, children can benefit enormously from mediation, both emotionally and practically.

Mediation helps keep your priorities in focus

A mediator helps you reach mutually beneficial and sacrificial compromises, while also being capable of giving you proper legal guidance through the process. When you come together for mediation, it is possible to avoid destructive patterns that often arise in a traditional divorce.

One of the pitfalls that parents may fall into during divorce is using children as an element in negotiations, rather than protecting them and caring for them. This is a far too common tale that has sown seeds of relationship dysfunction for many families, which you should avoid at all costs.

Mediation offers parents a safe environment to work out their disagreements while protecting their children from the process. Instead, the mediator understands how to keep children at the heart of the process for the sake of both parents.

There are also some significant silver-lining benefits to divorce mediation. For instance, you and your spouse can use the difficult situation of divorce as a teachable lesson for your children, demonstrating to them how you and your spouse can be mature adults and work together for their good.

Also, mediation is typically less expensive than traditional divorce, and can be especially useful for families with few resources who need to dissolve the marriage carefully to avoid financial ruin.

Get the help you need to start over

Your divorce is a difficult situation, no matter how you approach it. However, it doesn’t have to be devastating. With the guidance of an experienced attorney, you can set a course for a new season of life while protecting your family throughout the process.