Divorce is complicated for everyone involved, especially when children are in the mix. No matter the circumstances, divorce often affects children differently than adults.
Usually, the effects of the divorce in children may not be clear until long after the divorce is final.
However, parents can take actions during the divorce that can have a positive impact on their children’s well-being, help them recover faster and feel supported and loved by both parents, all of which are in the child’s best interests.
Mediation: what is it?
Mediation is a non-adversarial form of problem-solving. The courts use it as a tool for parents to work out their issues if they are having trouble reaching an agreement.
Parents can also hire a private mediator to help them settle divorce matters outside of court, including child custody and almost any other matter related to the divorce.
Benefits of mediation
The benefits of mediation are proven, and this method can be particularly helpful in helping parents communicate and reach compromises that consider their child’s best interests.
Mediation takes place with the help of a neutral third party whose role is to facilitate the conversation and provide a structured environment for the discussion to take place.
In addition, mediation offers parents the ability to:
- Choose the mediator
- Spend less time and money reaching a compromise
- Keep things confidential within the mediation
- Have a conversation in a non-threatening environment
- Talk things through without the pressure of having to reach an agreement
- Have the option of reaching an enforceable agreement
In addition, parents who choose mediation tend to recognize that because they will be working together for the foreseeable future, it is in their best interest to collaborate and communicate in a non-adversarial way.
Parents can devise solutions that work for both in mediation. Mediators are trained to help parents think of ideas that may work for them based on their family circumstances.
These benefits allow the parents to have a non-adversarial relationship in the future and help the children in the short and long term.
