Child-custody issues can be among the most difficult aspects of your divorce. The emotions surrounding divorce can quickly become charged, especially when one parent is not happy with the amount of time they will be spending with their children.
Unfortunately, since many parents consider the other parent to be their adversary during divorce, child custody becomes a battle. With you pitted against your ex, your innocent children inevitably pay the price.
When custodial decisions become heated, the result is a scenario where lawyers, legislation, and courts determine the direction of your children’s future. Having to give up your familial leadership role during a divorce can leave you feeling a loss of power and disrupt the harmony in your family structure.
Amid the emotional chaos, it is easy to lose sight of what is really important. As caring parents, you and your ex need to put issues aside and place the interests of your children at the forefront of your minds when making decisions about custody arrangements.
A child-centered divorce can create a situation where you and, more importantly, your children win. Sitting down together to discuss the future well-being of your kids can help keep your perspective where it belongs: on the children.
To do this, ask yourselves these serious questions:
- What is best for our children now and in the future?
- How can the physical, emotional, and spiritual damage from the divorce be minimized?
- What is the best way to support our children?
- What can be done to boost our children’s sense of security, self-esteem, and well-being?
- Who can best provide the least traumatic home environment for the children?
- How will our children remember our divorce?
- What can we do to make life better for our children now that the divorce is finalized?
The answers to these questions might not come easy, but they can help you create a starting point for healthy co-parenting. For more questions to consider, check out The Child Centered Divorce Blog today.
Crystal Lambert-Schroeder is a family attorney in Vancouver WA who believes that it is essential to keep your children’s emotional needs in mind as you make critical decisions that will affect their well-being. Click here to contact Lambert Law Office today.