When living in the same home as both parents is the only thing that children know, it is traumatic for them to find out that their parents are getting a divorce. Your job now becomes protecting them from the situations that they don’t need to be privy to while working with your ex to come up with the parenting plan that will govern the new way of life.
It isn’t always easy for parents to get along and make joint decisions during at this point. Oftentimes, the adults are still dealing with the emotions that come with the divorce. You will have to address the underlying issues so that you are able to move forward with your life. This is likely going to be a lengthy process that is ongoing while you are working out the terms of the child custody agreement.
Many parents go through mediation or a collaborative process to come to the terms that govern life for the children. When they do this, they are able to use their knowledge about the child and the situation to make decisions they feel are in the child’s best interests. Some parents aren’t able to do this and then find that they must rely on the court to make these decisions.
We know that you are probably ready to get these matters settled so that you can move forward with creating the life you want for your children. Be sure that you follow the guidelines set in the parenting plan so that you don’t run afoul of them and find yourself in legal trouble.
