Avoid conflict during child custody discussions

 Posted on May 14, 2021 in Child Custody Mediation

You love your children, and you knew when you filed for divorce that you and your ex would always share a connection because of your kids. You might have heard stories from family members or friends who have gone through lengthy court battles regarding child custody issues. That doesn’t mean that it has to be the same in your case. In fact, you don’t even have enter a Texas court; you can choose to mediate your divorce instead.

There are several helpful tips that you can use during mediation to avoid parental conflict. By keeping your children’s best interests in mind, you and your ex can learn to work as a team to resolve any child custody issue that arises during mediation sessions or after you finalize your divorce.

Controlling your emotions is the key to peaceful child custody discussions

Divorce typically evokes a wide range of emotions in people. You might feel at peace and confident about your future on one day, then feel sad or angry the next. In order to avoid co-parenting conflicts, it’s best to reserve child-related discussions for the days that you feel you have control over your emotions and are able to stay calm.

Use technology and other resources to your advantage

If you need to discuss a specific issue with your ex and think it’s best at the time to avoid an in-person discussion, you can agree to correspond using email or text messaging instead. You can also avoid co-parenting stress by using a calendar, not only to schedule visitation, special events or holidays but to schedule times to meet to discuss family issues as well.

Agree on ways to discuss child custody

The fact that you want to mediate your divorce rather than litigate child custody issues shows that you and your ex are willing to cooperate and compromise for your children’s sake. It’s helpful to agree to avoid all negative comments about each other and to agree to avoid things like profanity or passive aggressive behavior when you meet to talk about your kids.

Nobody is perfect, and sometimes, problems arise

Building a strong support network from the start can help you cope with child custody issues in a divorce so that you and your children can move on in life with the least amount of disruption possible.

Extended family members, a close friend, licensed counselors, teachers, coaches and legal advocates can all have key roles in helping your family come to terms with your divorce and to minimize stress as you adapt to a new lifestyle.