Three Ways Mediation Can Help Your Children Cope with Divorce

 Posted on May 16, 2022 in Divorce Mediation

Parents who are getting divorced in Texas basically have two options when determining how to manage issues regarding their children: a peaceful independent divorce mediation process or an adversarial journey through the family court system. While mediation benefits divorcing parents by making the process more peaceful and saving the time and expense of hostile courtroom litigation, the primary beneficiaries of mediation are underage children. Children, who have little or no control over their parent’s divorce outcome, are often trapped unfairly between parents who are so intent on competing with each other that they neglect to put their children’s needs first. If you are getting divorced in Texas and have underage children, here are some ways mediation can benefit them. 

More Flexibility in Your Parenting Plan

When a judge is left to decide which parent gets custody, the final outcome is not likely to be to anyone’s satisfaction. Texas family court judges are committed to finding out what arrangement would be in the children’s best interests, but nobody knows children as well as their parents. 

Mediation can help you avoid having a dissatisfactory parenting plan given to you by a court. Instead, each parent can express their priorities and then work together to create a schedule arrangement that allows the children to maximize time spent with each parent and transition smoothly between households. 

Focus on the Future Instead of Rehashing Past Mistakes

Going to court to resolve your parenting disputes means airing the dirty laundry of your past deeds to prove who is the best parent. In contrast, mediation is focused on moving forward and learning to raise children in separate households. By putting the focus on the future rather than the past, parents can avoid rubbing salt in each other’s wounds and put their attention on helping the children cope with the changes of divorce. 

Save Money That You Can Put Towards Your Children’s Future

One of the most difficult aspects of divorce for children to manage is the sudden transition from one household, supported by two adults working together, to two households where each adult is managing all the responsibilities and expenses by him or herself. This drop in available resources can have a significant impact on the educational opportunities children are afforded. Instead of paying tens of thousands of dollars to litigate your divorce over many months, save money by engaging in peaceful mediation so you can put that money to work for your children’s future. 

Meet For Free with a Collin County Attorney-Mediator

If you want to learn more about divorce mediation and how it could benefit your family, contact Sharon M. Easley, the experienced Collin County divorce attorney-mediator at Divorce Mediation Centers of America. Advocate Easley is a friendly, knowledgeable attorney who has helped many families achieve amicable, affordable divorce resolutions by using mediation to their advantage. Call our office in Plano today at 469-406-4320 to schedule your free consultation. 

Source: 

https://sophia.stkate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1242&context=msw_papers