It is no secret that children of divorcing parents are often those most affected during the divorce process. It is crucial to ask ourselves: How can this process be made easier for children of divorce? How can the focus be shifted towards solely the child’s happiness and his or her best interest? How can child custody cases avoid turning ugly? And how can we avoid focusing on frivolous issues that are irrelevant to the child’s welfare? Mediation may just be the answer.
If you have some level of comfortability in speaking and interacting with your ex, hiring a mediator may be the best method of dealing with situations of child custody. Here are some ways child custody mediation can benefit a child of divorce:
Less stress for the child
Mediation can take a great deal of stress off of a child going through his or her parents’ divorce. An experienced mediator will not influence a child to choose a parent’s side during the process, but rather will focus on how that child can develop a working relationship with both parents.
Often in court, a child gets caught up in his or her parents’ hostility towards one another. This energy can be transferred directly to the child, leading to emotional damage. The process of mediation can minimize the stressful impact of divorce on a child.
Setting a good example
Just because things did not work out between two parents does not mean those parents cannot be great role models for their child. Mediation is a great way to demonstrate to your child that difficult situations can be dealt within a civilized manner. Choosing divorce mediation can show your child how to approach and work through a potentially uncomfortable and painful situation in hope that the payoff will be worth it. This is a lesson that can stick with your child throughout his or her life.
Finances can go toward child’s needs
The longer the divorce process, the more expensive the divorce becomes. But mediation can help cut excessive court costs and allow parents to put that money towards something more important- their child! Mediation does not need to involve conventional divorce attorneys or a ton of visits to court. Ex-spouses share a mediator and the process can be successful without separate divorce attorneys.
Often, one of the biggest advantages of mediation is its positive impact on a child’s relationship with his or her parents. During a divorce, a child is often exposed to his or her parents’ nonstop fighting. This negative exposure can grow exponentially if the divorce gets unnecessarily dragged out in the courtroom. Divorce mediation can help to eliminate some of the harmful exposure seen by the child, as conversations are dealt with a less public way. In addition to eliminating further public altercations, with mediation, schedules can be developed that favor both parents in terms of the time spent with the child.
So… Is divorce mediation right for you and your child?
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