Ending a marriage is anything but easy. Even if it is in the best interest of both parties, divorce comes with a range of legal and personal implications.
One of the options you can consider if you and your spouse decide to call it quits is mediating your divorce. Unlike litigation, divorce mediation happens in an informal office setting where both parties work with a neutral party to settle various aspects of the divorce like custody and parenting arrangements, child and spousal support and property division.
But how do you mediate your divorce? Here are two tips for effective divorce mediation:
Learn to take charge of your emotions
Divorce comes with an avalanche of emotions. The person you vowed to spend the rest of your life with is leaving. You are likely angry and saddened – and it is understandable.
However, you should know that it can be difficult to mediate your divorce when your emotions are taking their toll on you. Once you accept the reality, you will come to the mediation table with a clear mind, take charge of the process and get the most out of your mediated divorce.
Put your child first
One of the most effective ways your soon-to-be ex can get underskin is to turn your child against you. Unfortunately, most people resort to this. However, using your child as a pawn before, during and after the divorce is never a brilliant idea.
In fact, this amounts to parental alienation and it is wrong. Besides hurting your child’s relationship with you, parental alienation can also derail your mediation effort and hurt your custody case.
More and more divorcing couples are opting for divorce mediation for a variety of reasons: it is cost-effective, saves time and offers privacy. You may need to find out how you can effectively mediate your divorce.