What to say to the children? One of the best arguments for divorce mediation is how it lessens the impact of divorce on the children. All parents need to learn new ways of helping their children cope with the new state of their lives.
Divorce doesn’t just end a marriage. It sets the terms by which families live separate but connected lives as parents. Wendy assists parents build a cooperative co-parenting relationship that focuses on the needs of children. Unlike traditional divorce, mediation helps parents reduce conflict to lessen the trauma of divorce on children. Mediation builds better communication to foster a respectful and collaborative co-parenting relationship that survives the end of the marriage.
Children's Rights in Divorce
- Each child has the right to develop and maintain an independent relationship with each parent.
- Each child has the right to be free of the conflict between the parents.
- Each child has the right to be free from having to take sides with, defend or denigrate either parent.
- Each child has the right to be guided, taught, supervised, disciplined, and nurtured by each parent, without interference from the other parent.
- Each child has the right to be financially supported by both parents, regardless of how much time each parent spends with the child.
- Each child has the right to know both parents, and to spend time with both parents on a regular basis, for holidays and for vacation periods.
- Each child has the right to be physically safe and adequately supervised when in the care of each parent.
- Each chiild has the right to be protected from people under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
- Each child has the right to develop and maintain meaningful relationships with other significant adults, such as grandparents, stepparents and other relatives, as long as these relationships do not interfere with or replace the child’s primary relationship with the child’s parents.
- Each child has the right to expect that both parents will follow through with the child’s residential plan, honoring specific commitments for scheduled time.
- Each child has the right to both parents being informed about medical, dental, educational, extracurricular and legal matters concerning the child.
- Each child with special needs (developmental, mental, emotional and physical) has the right to appropriate consideration and adaptation in any child care plan.