There’s one thing that most people agree on about divorce, it is that the process is very difficult for children to handle. You love your children, and while you know the divorce is necessary, you would prefer to do the least amount of emotional damage possible while changing your family.
Provided that you and the other parent can stay on the same page regarding your children’s needs, your cooperation with each other can go a long way toward reducing the harm the divorce causes. Mediation is frequently a tool employed by those who want to have a healthy co-parenting relationship after the end of their marriage.
There are several ways that mediation can lead to a calmer co-parenting relationship after divorce.
You learn to work together again
The process of litigating a divorce makes parents fight with one another and can often do severe damage to their relationship at a time when they already struggle to cooperate. Mediation, on the other hand, requires that the two of you start discussing issues with one another and cooperating.
You can redevelop healthy communication skills and start rebuilding your relationship not as divorced spouses but as co-parents who will support one another in getting the best out of your children.
Mutual agreement leads to less friction later
It can be very hard for parents to cooperate with one another while co-parenting based on a judge’s order. There may be a million little mistakes and oversights that make everybody’s lives more stressful when a stranger sets your schedule.
When you create your own parenting plan, you can address issues like known behavioral problems in your children and other family matters effectively. Additionally, both of you will feel more positive about the plan and will have an easier time following the terms it includes when you played a role in its creation.
As a final note, divorce mediation for parents can help by keeping their kids out of court and making it so they never have to make any sort of public statement about their custody preferences, which can be a very traumatic requirement for some children. Undergoing divorce mediation with your spouse can be a way for the two of you to repair your relationship and make your children the focal point of your upcoming divorce.