Hollywood has made a fortune with movies that show all-out divorce battles. Meanwhile, many celebrities go through months-long fights to end their marriages, making it natural for everyday Americans to think protracted litigation is the only way to divorce a spouse. Luckily, it is not.
With increasing frequency, individuals are deciding to settle their divorce using mediation. Unlike divorce litigation, mediation is a collaborative process that seeks commonsense answers to many divorce-related issues. Before defaulting to litigation, you should consider the ways divorce mediation can benefit the young ones in your family.
Divorce can be hard on kids
Even under ideal circumstances, divorce can be difficult for children. Indeed, according to Psychology Today, kids often develop anger, depression, anxiety and even behavioral issues when their parents are ending their marriages. As a concerned mother or father, you want to do everything possible to minimize the emotional fallout your children experience.
Mediation can help children
If your kids see your bitter courtroom battle unfolding, they might quickly feel insecure about their own futures. Because divorce mediation is significantly less adversarial, your children may not feel so uneasy. In fact, they might appreciate your willingness to work collaboratively with your soon-to-be ex-spouse rather than view him or her as an enemy.
Just as divorce mediation can be helpful for your children, it probably can benefit you in a number of ways. Ultimately, if your husband or wife is amenable to it, there usually is no harm in at least giving divorce mediation a try.